Puppydog Smiles
by LovesItxoxo
Summary: Future Fic: Chuck and Blair are 24 and are thrust back into each other's lives after spending several years apart, forced to deal with their unresolved feelings for each other. Chuck/Blair/Nate Dan/Serena
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **I own nothing except the storyline and characters not seen in the show!

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"Uh, Serena, whose bags are those? If they're Jenny's, tell her that I love her but she just can't live on our couch for the next three months or I will be forced to kill her." Dan called into his penthouse to his wife of six years.

Serena and Dan, to no one's surprise, had married straight out of high school in a wedding that rivaled Lily van der Woodsen's to Bart Bass. It was elegant and formal and everything that Dan and Serena hated, but they did it to make Lily happy. It didn't matter to them, as long as they were together.

"Sorry to disappoint C.P., but it's me." Blair Waldorf called out.

"Aunt Blair?" A young voice shouted; more specifically, the voice of Serena and Dan's five year old son Ryan.

"Ryan?" Blair returned in the same voice of anticipation and joy.

Ryan ran into the living room, where Blair and Serena had previously been situated; Blair and been drowning her sorrows in scotch while Serena tried to understand what she was saying. They had been there for the last four hours and very little progress had been made.

"I missed you!" Ryan shouted as he ran into Blair's arms, nearly knocking her down, and engulfing her in the biggest hug his five year old arms would allow.

"Oh, sweetie, I missed you too." Blair said, hugging him back.

Back in the hallway near the front door, Dan, Nate, and Chuck were at a loss for words. None of them had seen Blair in over a year, since she had jetted to Europe with her latest billionaire boyfriend. Dan was pleased that she was here, he had grown to like her their senior year of high school and he appreciated the fact that she doted on his son like no one else.

Nate and Chuck were not as thrilled. Blair was the one thing that had threatened their friendship and while neither would admit it, they had been relieved when she moved away. It allowed them the opportunity to mend bridges and attempt to return to their pre-Blair glory.

Dan walked into the living room and Nate and Chuck followed. Blair walked over, Ryan still in her arms, and hugged each of the men before her.

"It's so good to see you all." She said brightly. Dan smiled and Nate and Chuck just nodded.

"To what do we owe this pleasure?" Dan began. "And, it appears that your hand is quite lighter."

"I've decided to come home; I can't be away from New York for too long." Blair said, not answering Dan's second comment.

"And Pierre?" Dan asked as Serena shot him a warning glare which Blair caught.

"It's okay Serena. Pierre and I are no longer together. Who had bets on a year and two months?" Blair said sarcastically.

"Blair." Serena said.

"No, it's fine S. I'm not bitter; I've come to accept it." Blair said seriously, ruffling Ryan's hair in the process. "You look more handsome every time I see you. Are you batting away the gold diggers yet?"

"No." Ryan said shyly.

"Accept what?" Dan asked and again received a stern look.

"Accept that I'm going to be alone. I mean, let's face it; I'm not getting any younger. Each day, everything starts to sag more and more and no matter what new procedures are out there, I'll never be the same. And you know this is my third failed engagement. How many times do you think one person will get proposed to? Three, I'm already way over my expected quota as it is. No, I'm done. I won't get another shot. Damn, I really should've stayed with Steven." Blair explained.

"Blair, that's not true." Serena tried to comfort. "There are plenty of men that would kill to be with you."

"Yes, _be with _me, not _marry _me. But its okay, I'll get a cat or something." Blair said in a resigned voice.

"What about me?" Ryan asked sadly.

"Oh my goodness, I almost forgot our plan. No, I won't be alone after all." Blair said and put her God son down.

"Plan?" Dan asked curiously.

"Yeah, when I'm 18 and my trust fund kicks in, Aunt Blair and me will go to Las Vegas and elope and move to Europe." Ryan said, looking up at Blair to confirm. She nodded her head in agreement.

"Nice." Dan said looking at Blair and shaking his head. She just laughed.

"So did you get me anything?" Ryan asked Blair.

"Of course." Blair responded ignoring Serena's disapproving looks. "Go get me the bag with the big C's on it, okay?"

"You and Chuck are going to spoil him if you don't stop it." Serena chided.

"What can I say; I just want to make sure my nephew is well cared for. I know how Brooklyn can be cheap." Chuck said with a smirk.

"So true." Blair said with a grin towards Dan.

"Here." Ryan thrust the bag into Blair's hands.

Blair fussed about for a moment, rearranging the items within until she pulled out a wrapped box. She handed it over and within moments the paper was torn off. It was a model jet, one of a kind. Ryan loved these types of toys and this would be the centerpiece of his collection.

"Thank you! You're the best!" He shouted and gave her a hug.

"And don't you forget it." She said and beamed at him. He really was the perfect kid.

"What about me?" Chuck asked, pretending to be hurt.

"And me?" Nate chimed in with the same hurt tone.

"Sorry." Ryan mumbled as he focused on opening his box. He soon ran into his room to play with his new favorite toy.

"So where's the ring?" Serena asked, suddenly curious as she hadn't seen it apart from Blair in months.

"I gave it back to him. You can't keep an engagement ring once you're not engaged. Jewelry, yes. Priceless family engagement rings, no." Blair explained.

"Too bad, it was perfect." Serena said wistfully.

"Don't I know it?" Blair responded. "I am such an idiot. I should've stayed with him."

"But you didn't love him." Serena said.

"Well your mother never loved any of her husbands and it never stopped her from marrying any of them. The thing you have to understand, Serena, is that most people never find their true love. You and Dan are the one exception. Apparently, my true love is either non-existent or already taken so I just have to settle for rich, hot, cheating French assholes." Blair said and let out a sigh. "Maybe I'll call him."

"Absolutely not." Serena shouted.

"Whatever." Blair sighed. "So…what's new with you two?" Blair directed towards Nate and Chuck. The both looked at each other for a moment and then at Blair.

"Well, I'm, uh, engaged." Chuck stuttered.

Blair looked shocked for a moment but then regained herself. She walked over and gave him a hug which he unsurely returned.

"Congratulations. Don't mind me saying this, but I never thought I would see the day." Blair said and laughed.

"Tell me about it." Chuck said with an awkward chuckle.

"But good for you." Blair said seriously. "I'm glad to see that you're happy and doing well. And what about you?" Blair asked Nate.

"Me? I'm single. I just got out of a long term relationship so I'm enjoying the life of a bachelor." Nate said with a grin.

"Interesting. How's work?" She asked.

And for the next couple of hours, the five happily chatted about life and caught up on all that they had missed since they last spoke. Finally, Blair excused herself to get some sleep; jet lag had caught up with her. Nate and Chuck left and Serena, Dan, and Ryan had a quiet family dinner.

* * *

Early the next morning, 9:15 to be exact, Blair was shuffling about the Humphrey's kitchen, trying and failing to brew coffee while Ryan watched happily.

"I think this thing is broken." Blair complained to her God son, referring to the coffee maker.

"Daddy used it yesterday." Ryan said with a giggle.

"Yes, and maybe he broke it yesterday." Blair said and picked Ryan up. "What do you say I take you down to the restaurant downstairs and we get breakfast there? Sound good?"

"Yay!" Ryan let out.

"Okay, let me write Mommy and Daddy a note so they don't get mad." Blair said and did just that. Then she found her bag, took Ryan's hand and went to the elevator.

"Chuck!" Blair said in surprise once she and Ryan arrived at the restaurant. "Long time no see."

"Hey." Chuck said, giving Blair a hug and Ryan a high-five. "Ryan, what's good?"

"Aunt Blair couldn't work the coffee machine so we're having breakfast here." Ryan offered.

"I'm not surprised." Chuck laughed. Blair gave his arm a playful slap.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She said, pretending to be offended.

"Nothing. What about you two join me as a way to make it up to you?" Chuck asked Blair.

"Yes! Yes!" Ryan yelled.

"Are you sure? We don't want to be in your way." Blair said.

"I'm positive. C'mon." He said and led them to his personal table.

"What are you up to today?" Chuck asked when they sat down.

"Oh nothing too crazy, maybe the zoo or park." Blair said as she looked over the menu.

"Zoo?" Chuck asked in a disbelieving voice.

"We're leaning towards the park." Blair said with a smile and closed her menu.

"Hello Mr. Bass. What can I get for you all?" The pretty blonde waitress asked as she glided towards the table. Chuck pointed to Blair.

"Umm, I would love a cup of coffee and is it possible to get whole wheat waffles?" Blair asked politely.

"I'm afraid we don't make whole wheat waffles." The waitress responded.

"Okay, then I will have the fruit salad." Blair responded.

"No you won't." Chuck said. "Kelly, tell Alfonzo that he will prepare whole wheat waffles precisely to Miss Waldorf's specifications. Okay?"

"It's fine." Blair tried but Chuck wouldn't hear it.

"Ryan and I will have our usual and I'll have a cup of coffee as well." Chuck said and dismissed the waitress with a wave.

"Ryan, here is a perfect lesson for you. When you're out with a pretty lady, you do whatever it takes to make sure she's happy." Chuck said to Ryan who nodded seriously.

"Thank you. That was completely unnecessary, though." Blair said and blushed.

"Are you kidding, I've seen you when you don't get what you want. That was primarily for Ryan's safety." Chuck said with a smirk.

"Ha-ha, I've forgotten how funny you are." Blair said but she was still smiling.

Breakfast went smoothly after that. The food was delicious, even if it was just standard breakfast food. Chuck and Blair were talking nonchalantly while Ryan watched when a petite brunette walked up to the table.

"Hey, baby, what are you doing here?" The brunette said, pulling Chuck and Blair out of their conversation.

"Hi Jo, I was just catching up with an old friend. Joanna this is Blair. Blair this is Joanna, my fiancée." Chuck said trying to appear as if this wasn't completely awkward for him.

"Hello, Blair Waldorf. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard such nice things about you." Blair said as she thrust out her hand and plastered her best society smile on her face.

"Joanna Martin, it's nice to meet you too. I'm sorry but I haven't heard much about you." Joanna said, looking at Chuck suspiciously.

"I'm not surprised; I've been in France for the past year." Blair said brightly. "Well, let us get out of your way." Blair said and gathered her belongings. She attempted to pull out her wallet but Chuck shook his head.

"It was nice to meet you. Thanks for breakfast Chuck." Blair said and pulled Ryan after her.

* * *

"Mommy, Daddy, you won't believe what happened today!" Ryan exclaimed as he ran into his penthouse.

Serena, Dan, and Chuck sat in the living room, sipping drinks and chatting.

"Where have you been? And where is Blair? I can't believe she had you out all day. I'm going to kill her." Serena said seriously.

"Uh, Blair is at the bar for the time being." Nate said, trailing in behind Ryan in a jogging suit.

"Why? What happened?" Serena asked, suddenly nervous.

"Aunt Blair is having a meltdown." Ryan said with a smile.

"A meltdown? What does that mean?" Serena asked, still panicked.

"Trust me when I say this, you're going to want to hear it from her." Nate said with a grin. He walked over to the bar and poured himself some whiskey.

Just then, the door creaked open and a moment later was slammed shut. Blair walked into the living room, where she shot Nate a dirty look and plopped herself down on a couch. She was looking quite disheveled. She was wearing shoes that looked as if they had been bought from one of the street vendors and a shirt that said 'I Love NY' over her teal Dolce and Gabana dress.

"I _don't_ want to talk about it." She said and put her head down between her legs.

"Blair, what happened?" Serena asked, ignoring Blair's previous statement and walking over to her.

Blair opened her bag and pulled out a pair of Manolo Blahniks. She handed them to Serena and shook her head.

"I thought these were heels, not flats." Serena said.

"They were." Blair mumbled, both of her hands covering her face.

Serena, Chuck, and Dan tried to suppress giggles but Nate let out a chuckle. Blair glared at him.

"It's not funny. Those shoes cost a fortune. They were a gift from my father." Blair said, and rested her head on Serena's shoulder.

"I hate to say this, but the shoes are probably the least of your problems." Nate said with a grin.

"Don't you smile your little puppy-dog smile at me Nathanial. I am extremely mad at you right now." Blair said, shooting Nate yet another strong glare.

"Why are you mad at me? Am I the one who threw up on you? No. It's him you should be mad at, if anyone." Nate said, gesturing towards Ryan.

"I didn't mean to." Ryan said apologetically.

"I know you didn't, sweetie. I'm not mad at you." Blair said. "He's five, he doesn't know his limit. You should have known better than to buy him two sticks of cotton candy." Blair said angrily to Nate.

"You threw up on Blair?" Dan asked with a grin.

"Yes he did." Blair sighed.

"Wait, I'm confused. I thought it was going to be just you and Ryan today." Serena said to Blair.

"It was but then Aunt Blair's shoes broke and Uncle Nate caught her like a prince in a fairytale." Ryan said in awe.

"Actually, it wasn't like a fairytale because, and correct me if I'm wrong, but in a fairytale, the prince does _not _almost drop the princess and he most certainly does not laugh when she gets thrown up on." Blair huffed.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go shower and throw out my dress." Blair said and walked into the guest room.

"Nate, what happened?" Serena asked after she was sure Blair was gone.

"I was taking a jog through the park and then I see someone who looks like Blair with a kid who looks like Ryan, but I was sure it wasn't her. But then, as I'm right next to them, I see her shoe get caught in a crack in the pavement and the heel snapped. So I put my arms out to catch her, and I almost dropped her. I realized then that it was Blair and Ryan and I bought her a pair of shoes from one of those stores on the street and then I bought Ryan some cotton candy. You know the rest." Nate said with a smile and wink towards Ryan.

"It was really funny. Aunt Blair started crying when I threw up on her." Ryan said with a mischievous smirk.

"Ryan, that isn't nice." Dan said sternly. However, this did not have its desired effect as Dan was smirking as well.

"Ryan, let's go get you ready for Grandma's." Serena said and led Ryan to his room.

"So was she really crying?" Dan asked incredulously when Serena and Ryan were gone.

"Oh, she was hysterical." Nate laughed. "I could tell she was trying to act calm so Ryan wouldn't feel bad but she couldn't control herself."

"What I would have paid to see that." Chuck said with a giant smirk.

"Oh, so guess what happened at breakfast. I ran into Blair and Ryan downstairs and we ate together." Chuck began.

"How did _that_ go?" Nate asked.

"Actually, much better than I thought it ever would. Anyway, at the end, Joanna walked in." Chuck paused for dramatic effect.

"And…" Dan said.

"And Blair was really nice to her. I think she likes her. Now as for Joanna, she was not too pleased. It took a lot of convincing that nothing was going on between Blair and me." Chuck said.

"Was Blair real-nice or that fake nice that she was whenever someone she secretly hated was around?" Nate asked curiously.

"I'm not sure. I think she was genuinely nice but I can't read her like I used to." Chuck responded, thinking back to the morning. "Why wouldn't she like Joanna, anyway?"

"You're kidding, right?" Dan asked patronizingly. "Even I can tell you that one. Blair doesn't like competition."

"But it's not like we were ever together. I mean I would understand if this were Nate we were talking about but me?" Chuck said in disbelief.

"I have to agree with Dan about this. Blair is funny about these things." Nate said.

"Well, I have the perfect way to see. Why don't we invite Blair to dinner with us? Then you can all see how Blair acts around her." Chuck said with a smirk and the boys nodded. Dan looked worried and Nate just plain excited. Chuck, well he didn't know what to make of this.

* * *

Dinner was a horrible idea. Too bad Chuck had realized this a little too late. Blair looked beyond stunning and Chuck couldn't keep his eyes off of her which could be problematic with his fiancée sitting right next to him.

"Blair, you look beautiful." Nate said as he pulled out her chair for her. Dan and Chuck did the same for their respective dates.

"Thank you." Blair said shyly and blushed. "You look nice too."

"I do what I can." Nate said smugly.

"You're such an ass." Blair shot back. Nate just smiled.

The cocktail section of the night went along quite nicely, despite the constant glares Joanna was sending Chuck. He just shrugged his shoulders and mouthed "what?" but she shook her head in frustration.

Just as Blair was on her third martini, the waiter brought over a bright blue drink for her.

"Umm, I'm sorry, I didn't order this." Blair said in confusion.

"It's from the gentleman over there." The waiter said, indicating with his hand who had sent the drink. As soon as the waiter said this, the man got up and started walking towards the table.

"Put your arm around me." Blair ordered Nate through clenched teeth.

"Why?" Nate asked.

"Just do it. And you're my boyfriend." She mumbled.

The guy walked over to the table, straight towards Blair.

"Hello there, pretty lady." He said drunkenly.

"Are you trying to hit on my girlfriend?" Nate demanded angrily.

The man shook his head no. Nate was a built guy and could be intimidating if he tried. The guy apologized and quickly walked away.

"Just like old times, right?" Nate laughed. Blair pushed his arm off her shoulder.

"I'm still mad at you." Blair said.

"Yup, exactly like old times." Serena said and everyone cracked up, except for Joanna, who didn't understand.

"C'mon, you know you don't want to be mad at me. I have a puppy-dog smile." Nate said and grinned.

"Just because you have a nice smile, and bright blue eyes, and are good in bed, and have a nice body doesn't mean I'll forgive you at the drop of a hat." Blair huffed. Everyone paused in shock.

"You said I was good in bed." Nate finally said with a smirk.

"No I didn't." Blair said as her face reddened in embarrassment.

"Oh, yes you did." Nate said.

"Oh, God, kill me." Blair said and buried her face in her hands.

"Don't worry, you were good too." Nate said smugly and put a suggestive arm around her.

"I know." Blair said angrily and again pushed his arm off her shoulder. Nate and Dan laughed, while Chuck forced an awkward chuckle. This conversation was getting into dangerous territory.

"Anyway…does anyone else think that it smells like sex in here?" Serena asked in an innocent voice.

"I'm going to kill you." Blair muttered and then downed the blue drink in two gulps.

Dinner went by quickly after that and a lot more pleasant for Chuck. Apparently, Joanna had taken Blair's confession to mean that she was still into Nate and therefore not interested in Chuck. Joanna warmed up to Blair and Blair in turn was as sweet as she could possibly be. More impressive, it seemed she was being genuine.

After dinner, Dan and Serena excused themselves, claiming they had to pick up Ryan from Lily's house. Nate, Blair, Chuck, and Joanna decided to get dessert and after-dinner drinks at a bar across the street from the restaurant they were in.

"So, do you think that you guys will ever get back together?" Joanna asked, looking from Nate to Blair.

"No!" They both shouted simultaneously.

"Why not? You two seem like you would be the perfect couple." Joanna encouraged. Blair took a large gulp of her drink.

"Let's just say, we had a messy breakup." Nate said and took a drink himself.

"What happened, if you don't mind me asking? I feel so out of the loop." Joanna said. Blair took another swig.

"She slept with my best friend." Nate said; though it lacked the bitterness it once held. Time and the several drinks he had had helped that.

"Only because you slept with mine first." Blair slurred a little. She was way ahead of everyone in the alcohol department.

"Call it even?" Nate asked suddenly.

"Okay!" Blair said and gave him a high-five and they both grinned.

Chuck's face was beet-red and he was trying not to catch anyone's eye. Joanna, however, had not had anything to drink tonight and was as sharp as a tack.

"Best friend?" She asked to Nate.

"Uh hu. That guy over there." Nate said obliviously and pointed to Chuck whose face turned a brilliant shade of magenta.

"I see." Joanna said darkly and remained silent the rest of the evening.

* * *

Some quotes in the story above were borrowed from other works, so I've cited them here for anyone who's interested.

"And don't you forget it." – Closer (Movie)

"Hello there, pretty lady." – She's The Man (Movie)

"You said I was good in bed."

"No I didn't."

"Oh, yes you did."

"Oh, God, kill me." – One Tree Hill (TV Show)

"…it smells like sex in here…" – One Tree Hill (TV Show)


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **I own nothing except the story line and the characters not seen in the show!

Thanks for all of the reviews, they really meant a lot to me!!

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The door to the Humphrey's large, Palace-based penthouse swung open to reveal Nate and Chuck, both looking worse for the wear.

"Morning." Dan called from his kitchen while flipping pancakes for Ryan as per their Saturday morning tradition.

"Hey." Nate said in a lackluster tone. Chuck just grunted.

"How was dessert?" Dan asked feigning innocence. He could tell by Nate and Chuck's overall demeanor that it had not gone well.

"Did Blair tear Joanna a new one?" He continued with a self-satisfied smile.

"No, Blair did not tear Joanna a new one." Chuck said in a mocking tone. "But Joanna tore me two new ones when we left."

"What?" Dan questioned.

"It's a long story." Chuck sighed and helped himself to some orange juice.

"How's Blair?" Nate began. "She was in rare form when I dropped her off last night. She could barely walk." He headed towards the guest room where Blair was sleeping.

"I don't know. She's in her room, you can go check. But if I were you, I would…." Dan was cut off by a shrill scream coming from Blair's room. "…knock first." He muttered.

Nate jogged back to the kitchen. He looked quite flustered but at the same time was wearing a small, knowing grin.

"She just got out of the shower." Dan said as if that weren't obvious now.

"Couldn't have mentioned that before?" Nate asked but his face didn't match the anger his voice held.

"So…how did she look?" Chuck asked slyly.

"She looked good." Nate shot back, and they both laughed.

Several minutes later, Blair stomped out of her room, hauling two large Louis Vuitton pieces of luggage behind her. She walked her bags to the front door, turned on her heel, and walked back to the kitchen. Stalking directly up to Nate, she paused, gave him a hard look, and then slapped him. The sound reverberated throughout the silent house.

"What was that for?" Nate asked, holding his cheek. Blair just rolled her eyes.

"Dan, thank you for your hospitality but I think it's time for me to go." Blair said. Ryan had tears in his eyes.

"But I like having you so close." Ryan whispered and ran to Blair, wrapping his arms around her legs.

"Yeah, and I thought your mom's place wouldn't be ready for another week." Dan said.

"It won't but I've decided to rent a room here until it's ready." She clarified. And then looking at Ryan, "I'll still be close, I promise. And you can come and visit whenever you want."

"Look, Blair, I'm sorry." Nate said as Blair's newest revelations jarred him from his thoughts, or more like fantasies.

"You know, you would be a whole lot more convincing if you lost the smirk." Blair said coolly. Nate's smirk widened. "And why don't you try knocking next time, it's what we civilized people do."

"I don't really see what the big deal is. It's not like I haven't seen it all before, anyway." Nate said and waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Blair ignored him and turned her head sharply to Dan.

"Tell Serena I'll call her later." She ordered, and with that, she walked out the door.

* * *

Blair heard the quiet click and turned to look towards the door.

"The sign says 'Do _Not_ Disturb!'" She called over the loud music.

"I'm impressed. You're clever Waldorf, there's no denying that." Serena said with bitter sarcasm as she walked over to the bed that Blair was currently occupying.

"How did you find me?" Blair asked darkly.

"That would be me. Putting your reservations under the name _Brittany Winter_ was not your brightest decision." Chuck said, following Serena.

"I was a little hung over, give me a break." Blair said.

"B, we're all really worried about you." Serena said seriously.

"I'm fine; I just want to be alone. Is that so bad?" Blair quipped.

"You haven't left the room in three days." Serena said softening her voice.

"That's because the wonderful staff has made my room the perfect place; food, drink, and mood music. What more can a girl ask for?" Blair said.

"Mood music? It sounds like you're listening to 'Songs to Slit Your Wrists To, Volume 1.' What happened, Blair? You were in such a good mood when you first got here." Serena said and sat on the bed next to Blair.

Tears streamed down Blair's cheeks as she put her head into her hands. Serena put a comforting arm around her and they just sat there for a moment in silence, Chuck standing next to the bed awkwardly.

Finally, Blair composed herself enough to get up and walk over towards the desk. She pulled her laptop over to the bed, sat back down, and opened it. She handed it over to Serena who made a face, but said nothing.

The website Blair was on was some sort of global "Page 6," with news about the rich and famous of the international community. A picture of a tall, dark-haired French man with a blonde woman wearing an enormous engagement ring took up the whole page. A caption read 'Aircraft Tycoon Pierre LeFreu and his new bride-to-be out in Paris this Friday enjoyed a private dinner at a quiet bistro.' Serena looked at Blair as soon as she had finished reading it.

"That is _my_ ring on _her _chubby finger!" Blair shouted.

"They're engaged?" Serena asked in shock. "How long has he even been with her?"

"Six months." Blair said miserably.

"_Six months_?! You knew he was with her for _six months_ and you still stayed with him?" Serena asked, totally perplexed.

"Did you know his next line of jets, you know the one I just gave Ryan a model of, do you know what they're called?" Blair paused. "Blair."

"So you stayed with him even though he was having an affair because he named his new line of jets after you?" Serena couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Blair didn't say anything.

"Blair!" Serena said forcefully.

"Oh, I'm sorry; I thought that was a rhetorical question. Yes, Serena, yes. But now…I've lost." Blair sighed dramatically.

"I'm confused, lost what?" Chuck asked.

"The contest." Blair said exasperatedly, as if that were the obvious answer.

"What contest would you be referring to exactly?" Chuck asked in confusion.

"Who will die miserable." Blair said with a Duh! voice.

"B, you're not going to die miserable." Serena cooed.

"Yes I am. I'm going to be alone while he fucks that cheap little whore on _my_ plane." Blair yelled and began to cry again. She grabbed the comforter and threw it over her head as her sobs continued.

Serena gave Chuck a worried look which he returned with a shrug. She pulled him aside.

"We have to do _something_." She whispered.

He sighed but knew that Serena was right. Blair needed to be dragged out of Blair Land and brought back to reality.

Chuck walked over to the bed, pulled the sheets away from Blair, and hoisted her up over his shoulder fireman-style.

"What are you doing?" Blair demanded and tried to free herself.

Chuck ignored her and walked purposefully to the bathroom. He turned on the shower, making sure it was cold, and walked in, still holding Blair.

Blair flailed around for several moments, trying to push Chuck's strong arms off of her but eventually gave up and held onto him and she continued to cry. Serena just watched from afar and Chuck just held Blair there until he felt her start to relax.

Finally he put her down and grabbed a towel for her and himself. She turned off the shower and stepped out, wrapping the large towel around her lithe body. She walked over to Serena and clung to her as Serena gently stroked her hair.

Chuck felt a small pang of jealousy that she sought comfort outside of him, and then cursed himself for being so childish. Blair and Serena had been friends forever and it was only natural that Serena would be more soothing to Blair than he was.

"You know what?" Blair asked suddenly.

"What?" Serena said still holding her.

"I think I just need some good breakup sex." Blair said.

"That's the spirit. The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else, right?" Serena joked and both girls giggled.

Again, Chuck was surprised that he was bothered. Why would he care if Blair slept with another guy? He had Joanna. He was totally over Blair. He was just feeling brotherly right now. That was it.

* * *

"Martini, heavy on the gin, please. And keep them coming." Blair said quickly to the bartender. He nodded and gave her the once-over before preparing her drink.

She blushed when she realized he was checking her out. At the same time though, she had made an effort to look sexy so it was reassuring.

She was wearing a tight, red mini dress with a slit up her right thigh. Her heels were three inches of crimson Jimmy Choo that were to die for. And apparently, the other patrons of the Palace bar agreed. As she subtly looked around, she noticed that several of the more attractive men of the bar were looking at her the same way the bar tender had.

Blair sat on a stool, delicately sipping her third martini when he walked up. He was tall, dark, and handsome and perfect for the night she was planning. She gave him a sexy smirk which he returned.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He asked as he slid onto the stool next to her.

She turned to the bartender. "I'll have a Screaming Orgasm." She said, and turned back to look at the gentleman next to her, who was wearing a grin.

"Scotch on the rocks." He said to the bartender and then turned to look at Blair.

"I'm Kevin." He said and held out his hand.

"Blair." She said in a sultry voice and put her hand in his.

"What, may I ask, is a beautiful woman such as you doing by herself this fine evening?" Kevin asked. Blair smiled.

"I'm looking for a little escape." She said, and now he smiled.

"Of course you are." He said and she laughed throatily.

Across the bar, and unbeknown to Blair, Chuck and Nate sat down. Chuck ordered a scotch and Nate requested whiskey.

"I'm in deep shit." Chuck said flatly.

"Let's here it." Nate said.

"This isn't fucking funny, man. Joanna is pissed." Chuck said.

"Why? Because you slept with some girl in high school? She does know who you are, doesn't she?" Nate asked.

"You know this is all your fault, right?" Chuck retorted.

"How is this my fault?" Nate questioned.

"You had to open your big mouth and tell her that I slept with Blair." Chuck said.

"Which brings me back to my first question, why is she mad about you having sex with a girl in high school?" Nate responded with a smug look.

"How the fuck should I know?" Chuck said.

"C'mon, you're telling me you can't figure out why your fiancée is jealous over a girl you fucked in high school, who just moved back to New York, who you've known all your life, who happened to look ridiculously hot the other night , and who, might I add, you were staring at shamelessly." Nate said.

He paused for a second before adding, "Oh, yeah, and not to mention, that said girl is single."

"Fuck you." Chuck muttered and took a large sip of his drink.

"I'm just saying, man. But hey, if you're not interested in Blair anymore then you won't mind me going after her. So I guess this works out well for both of us. Especially me." Nate said and sipped his own drink.

Chuck didn't say anything; he just took another gulp and unconsciously clenched his fists under the counter.

Nate thought for a moment before he spoke again.

"She doesn't have a real reason to be jealous, does she?" He asked almost accusingly.

"Of course not. I would never cheat." Chuck said quickly.

"Just checking." Nate said.

On the other side of the room, Blair and Kevin were getting along quite nicely. He had bought her two more drinks and had his hand resting on her thigh.

Blair had more than a nice buzz going; it was safe to say that she was smashed, which didn't seem to bother Kevin one bit. If anything, he was becoming even more aggressive; his hand creeping further and further up her thigh.

"Hey." She said playfully and tried to push his hand away. He just laughed and slid his hand up further.

Blair was growing more distressed by the second. Her night of escape now seemed like a childish thing to do, she didn't even know this man. She again attempted to politely remove his hand from her thigh, but he resisted.

Blair tried not to cause a scene, however, when she was thwarted for the third time, she became more vocal.

"Get your hands off of me." She hissed loudly, but not loud enough to get the attention of the other bar-goers.

"I thought you were looking for an escape." He said.

"Well I changed my mind." She whispered and tried to push him away. However he only moved closer to her, blocking her from the view of those close by. This was quite easy considering they had earlier moved to a secluded corner to get better acquainted.

"Well I haven't." He responded coldly. "You're not going to leave me all high and dry now."

"I _said_, get off of me." She said her voice louder than before.

Her plea was carried to the end of the bar where Nate and Chuck were still talking. Both boys turned at the sound of the familiar voice, although most of the other people near them ignored it.

"Doesn't that sound like…?" Chuck trailed off.

"Yeah, it does." Nate said.

They both got up and looked around the room, their eyes settling in the corner at the far end of the bar. Nate led the way over to where Blair and Kevin were sitting with Chuck on his tail.

When he was behind Kevin, Nate reached over his shoulder and turned him around. Kevin barely had a moments notice before a fist collided with his face several times.

Blair took the opportunity to push away from Kevin, and ran right into Chuck's arms.

"Are you okay?" He asked in concern.

"I think so." She said and buried her head in his chest.

"Nate, let's take her back to her suite, my security guards will take care of this piece of shit for us." Chuck said and motioned to one of the bar's bouncers.

Blair leaned on both men for support all the way up to her suite, where she then collapsed in her bed, already forgetting the events of the night.

* * *

Some quotes in the story above were borrowed from other works, so I've cited them here for anyone who's interested.

"Oh, I'm sorry; I thought that was a rhetorical question. Yes, Serena, yes." – The OC (TV Show) (In the original quote, 'Serena' is replaced with 'Ryan')

"Who will die miserable." – Sex and The City (TV Show)

"The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else." – The CW Gossip Girl Blog


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **I own nothing except the story line and the characters not seen in the show!

Thanks for all of the reviews, they really meant a lot to me!!

**

* * *

****Chapter 3**

She was surprised at how right this felt, event though she knew it was wrong. He was engaged. She wasn't going to be the other woman, she knew how that felt. She didn't want to ruin his relationship, but clearly there wasn't much of one to ruin if he was here.

If she thought about it, he was always there for her. Just like earlier, when he had forced her to get out of bed. Just like an hour ago, when he had rescued her from that guy. Just like now, when he sat next to her, holding her hand, making sure she didn't feel alone.

She smiled at him, a sweet smile. One she saved for special occasions. A smile that she once gave his best friend, but now she would only bestow it upon him. He was the one. He was her prince. They were meant to be. It was all becoming clear now.

He smiled back at her. It was genuine. Not one of his trademark smirks that were sexy as hell, but a real, I'm-so-happy-I-don't-care-how-dumb-I-look smile.

"How are you feeling?" he asked gently, still holding her hand.

"Better now that you're hear." She said back. She knew it sounded cheesy and cliché but it was the truth.

He chuckled. God, she loved his laugh.

"Come here." She said suddenly.

He obliged. He got up and took his shoes off and sat next to her on the bed. She frowned at him, to which he smiled at. He pulled her head towards his and kissed her as passionately as he had all those years ago.

Suddenly, she felt her bed moving up and down, as if someone were jumping on it. She was angry, this was destroying their moment. And then, he was gone.

"Who the fuck is that?" Blair demanded angrily as she was forcefully roused from her dream.

"Aunt Blair, you said a bad word." Ryan's voice jolted Blair's eyes open.

"Ryan, what are you doing here?" Blair asked, trying to sit up but finding the feat quite challenging at the moment considering she had the worst hangover imaginable.

"Uncle Chuck brought me." Ryan said proudly. He loved his uncle dearly.

"Did he now?" Blair asked finally able to sit up to better view the room.

Chuck walked over to her bed with a tray of coffee, water and a bottle of aspirin.

"I thought you might need some encouragement to get out of bed. Especially after last night." Chuck said and placed the tray over her legs.

Blair took several aspirin and then picked up the coffee, not caring that she didn't have milk or sugar. She needed something to help her think.

"Last night?" She finally gasped after the coffee burned the back of her throat.

"Yes, you caused quite the scene at my bar." Chuck said airily, although it was clear that he was concerned.

"Oh." She said almost disappointedly.

For a fleeting moment, she thought that her dream wasn't a dream at all, but something real. She quickly pushed the thought from her mind. She would have to dissect her dream later, possibly with Serena.

"How are you feeling?" He asked bringing her back to the present.

"What? Oh, fine." She said. "Why? What…what happened?"

"Ryan, can you earmuff it for me?" Chuck said.

Blair looked at him in confusion and then turned to Ryan. He had put his hands over his ears so he couldn't hear what the adults were saying. She smirked. Of course Chuck would train his nephew to do such a thing.

"You don't remember what you told Serena yesterday?" Chuck said cautiously.

"No, what are you talking about." She paused and her face froze in realization. "Oh my God, I didn't."

"No." Chuck assured her. "But it appeared that you were going to. Nate and I heard you tell some guy to get his hands off of you and I had security take care of him." Chuck said trying to sound like it wasn't a big deal to him. However, last night he had wanted to wring that guy's neck for even laying a hand on Blair.

Blair covered her face with her hands and shook her head.

"Ugh, I'm so embarrassed." She finally said. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it." Chuck said. "Ryan!" He said loudly and the boy removed his hands.

"Aunt Blair, do you want to come to the park with us?" Ryan asked.

"When?" She asked.

"We were thinking of going now." Chuck informed.

"Um, okay. Give me like ten minutes to get ready." She said.

"Sure. We'll meet you in the lobby." Chuck said and he and Ryan walked out.

Fifteen minutes later, the elevator opened to reveal a perfectly dressed Blair Waldorf. She was wearing a tight-fitting pair of Earl Jeans and a simple, olive green sleeveless blouse. Her hair was elegantly side swept into a low ponytail, and her boots were black, Gucci, and most definitely going to be painful. Her bag, well that was heaven on earth; an olive green Hermes Birkin bag.

"Well thanks for gracing us with your presence." Chuck called out sarcastically as Blair exited the elevator.

"What can I say; I can be generous when I want to be." She said with just as much sarcasm as she walked over to Chuck and Ryan.

"I seem to remember several such occasions." Chuck said evocatively with a smirk, to which Blair rolled her eyes.

"It's nice to see that while everyone else has chosen to grow up, you remain as stubborn as ever." She said, and grabbed Ryan's hand as he watched the two adults in a mixture of confusion and excitement.

"Shall we go?" Blair then asked. Ryan shook his head violently.

Chuck's limo was waiting for them when they walked out of the Palace, and Blair suddenly felt her cheeks burn as she remembered certain goings-on in the back of one his limos in particular. Chuck immediately realized why Blair had blushed and stared at her in the same suggestive way as before, making her turn even more red.

"What's wrong Aunt Blair?" Ryan asked after they had been sitting in ten minutes of awkward silence.

"Nothing sweetie." Blair said quickly, trying not to look at Chuck.

"Aunt Blair is just going down memory lane." Chuck said and laughed.

Blair looked at him sharply.

"I don't think that this is an appropriate conversation to have with a five year old, Chuck. And I think your _fiancée_ will agree with me." She said meaningfully.

Chuck's smile instantly dropped from his face at the mention of Joanna. He didn't want to think of her, he wanted to relax with his nephew and his friend Blair. But being in one of his limos with her was actually sending _him_ down memory lane.

"So, what's the plan?" Blair asked, trying to shift the subject to a less awkward territory.

"Let's see." Chuck began. "A walk around the park, maybe a game of Frisbee, and then usually we go for ice cream. How does that sound?"

"Perfect!" Ryan exclaimed. Blair chuckled.

"I agree." She said and Chuck grinned at her.

"What?" She asked at his expression.

"Nothing. I was just thinking it'll be interesting to see you play Frisbee." He said and laughed.

"Oh, you are so going down, Bass." Blair responded in a serious voice.

"Don't let your mouth write checks your ass can't cash, Blair." Chuck said with his signature smirk.

"Uncle Chuck cursed." Ryan told Blair. Blair glared at Chuck.

"Yes he did." Blair agreed. "He's a very bad man." Blair continued and gave Chuck a playful grin.

"Don't forget that Aunt Blair cursed this morning." Chuck said to Ryan.

"That's real mature Chuck. Real mature." Blair said with an eye roll.

Chuck just snickered at Blair. The rest of the ride to the park went along in comfortable silence with the exception of Ryan whispering excitedly to Blair about what they were going to do. Everyone was in good spirits.

They arrived at Central Park five minutes later. It was a beautiful April day, what some might call crisp. The air was fresh and smells from the various food vendors filled Blair's nostrils. She smiled at the scene before her; she had truly missed New York.

Chuck, Ryan, and Blair walked around the park for about a half an hour talking about this and that. Mostly Ryan blubbered on about how much he loved his parents and Uncle Nate and of course Uncle Chuck and Aunt Blair.

"Aunt Blair." Ryan said when they had finally taken a break from their walk. "You're a lot prettier than Joanna. I think Uncle Chuck should marry you." He said simply.

Blair laughed awkwardly and Chuck blushed for what might have been one of the first times in his life.

"That's not nice, Ryan." Blair admonished. "Besides, I thought we were going to get married." She said.

"Yeah but if you and Uncle Chuck got married, you would be my real aunt, right?" He asked hopefully.

Blair looked at Chuck, not sure what to say. He was also quite unsure. Things were uncomfortable enough as it was, without Ryan asking such probing questions. Chuck decided to change the subject.

"Who's up for some Frisbee?" He asked. Blair looked at him gratefully.

"Me! Me!" Ryan shouted and Chuck pulled a Frisbee from his coat pocket.

They played for a while, nothing too intense, until Ryan seemed like he could use a break. They found a bench and sat down to chat. Ryan snuggled close to Blair, his eyelids closing as he drifted into sleep.

Blair was appreciative as this gave her time to question Chuck further about last night's incident.

"So tell me what happened, exactly." She whispered so as not to wake Ryan.

"Nate and I were at the bar and we heard you tell this guy to get his hands off of you, like I said before. We walked over and…dealt with him, before getting security to take him out." Chuck explained.

"Wait! You got into a fight?" Blair said, a little too loudly.

"Actually, it was your ex-boyfriend who punched him. I'm just the equally handsome sidekick, after all." Chuck said with a smirk.

As Chuck spoke, Ryan popped his head up, listening eagerly to the conversation.

"Who's your ex-boyfriend?" Ryan asked Blair curiously which she responded to with a horrified look. This was not the type of thing she deemed acceptable to talk to her God son about.

"Uncle Nate." Chuck replied, almost bitterly.

"Thank you." Blair said with sarcasm.

"You're welcome." Chuck said smugly. Blair rolled her eyes.

"Were you and Uncle Nate in love like Mommy and Daddy?" Ryan asked innocently. Blair looked uncomfortable; Ryan was hitting all the sore topics between Chuck and her.

"Umm, maybe, but it was a long time ago." She said carefully.

"Why aren't you and Uncle Nate boyfriend and girlfriend anymore?" Ryan questioned.

Blair looked at Chuck angrily at what he had started. He just shrugged.

"Uh, Uncle Chuck, do you want to take this one?" She said with a smirk.

Chuck was at a loss of what to say for a moment, but finally composed himself.

"Sure, how does ice cream sound?" He asked.

"Good!" Ryan exclaimed, completely forgetting their previous conversation.

"Smooth." Blair muttered as they all got up.

"I thought so." Chuck muttered back.

They all walked up to the counter of a small ice cream shop, Blair first in line.

"What can I get for you?" The guy behind the counter asked.

"You know what, I'm not sure. Ryan, why don't you order first, sweetie." Blair said and moved out of the way to let Ryan move forward. Chuck walked to the counter instead.

"That's not necessary. We'll have three scoops of every flavor that you have." Chuck said, pulling out his wallet.

"Chuck!" Blair said disbelievingly.

"Okay, okay. We'll get sprinkles, no need to yell at me." He said with a grin.

"You're ridiculous." Blair sighed but couldn't help but smile.

"Excuse me, sir, but we have over twenty different flavors." The worker said nervously.

"Well then I suggest you get a move on." Chuck said, handing the worker a large wad of hundreds.

"Yes, sir." The man said quickly.

About twenty minutes later, with the help of the entire staff of the shop, Chuck, Blair, and Ryan carried their ice cream to a nearby bench.

"You have to admit, I can be pretty charming when I want to be." Chuck drawled as Blair dug at her cookie dough ice cream.

"I guess if you're into big gestures and that sort of thing." Blair said coyly. Chuck just chuckled.

Suddenly, Blair felt her purse moving. She opened it and found her cell.

"Hello?" She asked and grinned when she heard the caller's voice.

* * *

Some quotes in the story above were borrowed from other works, so I've cited them here for anyone who's interested.

"Ryan, can you earmuff it for me?" – Old School (Movie) (In the original quote, 'Ryan' is replaced with 'Max')

"Don't let your mouth write checks your ass can't cash." Two and a Half Men (TV Show)


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: **I own nothing except the story line and the characters not seen in the show!

Thanks for all of the reviews, they really meant a lot to me!!

* * *

**Chapter 4**

"Ah, I was wondering when I would be getting a call from you." Blair said in her fakest sweet voice imaginable.

Chuck knew her too well to think that she was really pleased. He pitied the person on the other end of the phone.

"I must give you credit, though, I expected to get a call last night. Five days is your normal rule of thumb, isn't it?" She asked in her sugar-coated voice. However, her face seemed to be getting tenser with each word.

She listened silently for about a minute, rolling her eyes constantly. Her hands clenched and she dropped her spoon. And then, without warning, she was screaming in rapid French, clearly forgetting that she was not in the privacy of her own home.

Realization finally dawned on Chuck, it was her ex-fiancée, Peter something or other. He didn't know and he honestly didn't care. He did, however, feel bad for the guy, as he had probably gone partially deaf by now. Blair was yelling pretty loudly and had startled Ryan in the process.

Chuck put a hand on Ryan's shoulder to comfort him, shooting Blair worried looks.

Finally, Blair slammed her phone shut and in an angry rage threw it at a tree where it broke apart.

"Sorry about that." Blair said and resumed eating her ice cream.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Chuck asked cautiously.

"Not really, no." Blair responded with a tone of finality.

"Okay." Chuck said, not sure of what to do next.

"Ryan." Blair began calmly.

"What?" Ryan asked nervously.

"I need you to promise me something. Can you do that for me?" He nodded vigorously. "I need you to promise me that when you're older and you meet a girl that you like, you're going to treat her right. I want you to treat her the way Daddy treats Mommy. Can you promise me that?" Blair asked.

"I promise." Ryan declared.

"And no matter what happens, you will never ever cheat on her, okay?" Blair continued.

"I won't." Ryan promised.

"Blair." Chuck said kindly.

"It's fine." She said. "I'm fine. I'm used to it by now." She said and laughed bitterly.

"I'm sorry." Chuck said lamely.

"It's not your fault, but thank you." Blair said and they finished eating in quiet.

* * *

Blair slowly opened her hotel room door and felt a chill run down her spine as she heard the TV on. She knew that she hadn't left it on, her anal-retentiveness wouldn't allow for such an act. She silently crept into the room and grabbed a large umbrella she had laying around, ready to attack the intruder.

Running quickly around the corner to her bed, she stopped short.

"Blair, what the hell?" Nate asked in a shocked voice.

"Jesus, you gave me a heart attack." Blair sighed in relief. "I thought you were a burglar or rapist or something." Blair continued and put down her umbrella.

"Sorry. I tried calling your cell but you wouldn't pick up." Nate explained as he turned off the TV to give Blair his full attention.

"Yeah, it broke." She said not caring to relay the details of her tantrum to him.

"Oh. Sorry for barging in on you like this, I just wanted to talk to you and I got a key from the front desk." Nate hasted to further explain his presence, not wanting to seem like a crazy stalker.

"Don't worry about it." Blair said warily and sat on a chair to pull off her boots.

"Are you okay, you seem really stressed?" Nate asked in concern.

"I'm fine, what did you want to talk about?" Blair asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

Nate blushed slightly, feeling nervous for the first time all day. He had planned this in his head perfectly and rehearsed it about ten times, but seeing Blair looking so beautiful took his breath away. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, and smiled that irresistible smile of his.

"Umm, I was wondering if you don't have any other plans tonight, if maybe, you would be interested in getting some dinner with me." He rushed anxiously.

"I'd love to." Blair said with a smile. Nate's face lit up at this news.

"Okay, good. Great. I'll pick you up at eight?" Nate said.

"Sounds good." Blair said, happy to have something to take her mind off of her recent phone call with her ex-fiancée.

Nate quickly left Blair to get ready for their dinner plans.

* * *

"What did you do today, sweetie?" Serena asked as she helped herself to some French fries.

"Me?" Dan asked sarcastically.

"No, I already know what you did today." Serena said with a knowing look. Dan grinned.

The two lovebirds had taken advantage of the fact that Ryan was out with Chuck and spent the whole day in bed together.

"Aunt Blair and Uncle Chuck took me to the park and then we played Frisbee and then we ate lots of ice cream. And then, Aunt Blair threw her phone at a tree and it broke." Ryan said as he munched on his chicken nuggets.

True, they lived at the Palace and could order basically anything that they wanted to eat, but the Humphreys preferred simple food. So tonight, dinner consisted of chicken nuggets and French fries, prepared by a real French chef.

"Sounds like the making of an infamous Waldorf temper tantrum." Serena said to her husband.

"Indeed." He responded with a smirk. "Too bad we missed it, they are ever so amusing."

"Dan!" Serena exclaimed, slapping his arm. "She's my best friend."

"What? I though I was." Dan said, feigning hurt feelings.

"Sorry, you're just my husband." Serena retorted with a grin.

"I'm not going to lie, that hurts." Dan said with a smile matching his wife's.

"What about me, Mommy?" Ryan questioned.

"What about you? You are my _favorite_ son." Serena said and rumpled his hair.

"I'm your only son." Ryan explained to Serena, as if she didn't know that.

"This one is too smart for his own good." Dan said. Serena chuckled.

"Tell me about it." She said and gave her son an adoring glance.

"Aunt Blair said I'm a genius." Ryan said excitedly.

"Well you know what they say, like father, like son." Dan said proudly.

"So true." Serena laughed. "With Daddy's brains and my good looks, you'll rule the world." Serena said to Ryan.

"Really?" He asked his face lit up with joy.

"Absolutely!" Serena answered. Dan rolled his eyes at his wife. Serena ignored him and patted Ryan on his head.

Dinner was soon followed by dessert and then movies. They all cuddled on the large sofa in the living room, watching Harry Potter on their plasma TV.

Eventually, Ryan fell asleep and Dan carried him to his room. He then joined Serena in bed, where they fell asleep almost instantly, both exhausted from the day's activities.

* * *

A limo was waiting for her as she walked out of the Palace, Nate leaning against it. He looked terrific in a black Armani suit and light blue shirt. He wasn't wearing a tie, but if anything, this only added to his effortless sex appeal. His hair was messy and swept to the side and Blair felt her breath hitch in her throat as she looked at him. Even after all this time, he was still as gorgeous as ever.

She sauntered over to him in what she hoped was classic Audrey fashion. She wore a simple little black dress, black pumps, and an incredible diamond necklace. She was sophisticated chic, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

"Hi." She said, trying to calm her nerves.

"Hey." He responded and kissed her cheek. She felt herself blush.

He pulled a magnificent bouquet of flowers from behind his back. It was made up of all different types of flowers, but they were all pink. She smiled at him and he felt himself smile back.

"Thank you, they're beautiful." She said breathily.

"They're nothing compared to you." He said, and opened the limo door.

* * *

"Do you even love me anymore?" Joanna asked as tears filled her eyes.

"What kind of a question is that?" Chuck demanded, wiping away the tears staining her cheeks.

"Well what am I supposed to think, Chuck?" She said angrily, flinching away from his touch.

"All of a sudden this old girlfriend walks back into your life and you're spending the entire fucking day with her! When was the last time _we_ spent the whole day together?" Joanna continued, and a fresh wave of sobs followed.

"Jo, it's not like that. We were just catching up. And maybe you and I haven't spent the whole day together because you're a workaholic." Chuck said, getting a little angry himself at his fiancée's accusations.

"Please. Don't even go there. Every time I ask you to spend the weekend at Atlantic City or go to a play or do something for a day you make excuses. And then _she_ comes waltzing back into your life and suddenly you have all the time in the world!" Joanna shouted, a little too loudly.

"Alright. That is enough!" Chuck said his voice barely audible. "I said there wasn't anything going on and there's not. Now control yourself or leave, you're making a scene."

Joanna quickly stood up, grabbed her coat and purse, and stormed out of the restaurant. Chuck sat back in his seat, sighed, and downed his scotch.

* * *

"I can't believe you remembered." Blair muttered as the host pulled out her chair.

"C'mon, give me a little more credit than that." Nate responded as he sat down, a smile crossing his lips.

"It's not that." Blair giggled. "It's just, it was so long ago."

"How could I forget where we had our first _real_ date?" Nate asked, still grinning.

"Well, I must admit, I am impressed." Blair said and gave a small smile of her own.

Just then, a waiter walked over with a bottle of Dom Pérignon. He opened it slowly, holding a napkin over the cork, and then poured both Nate and Blair a flute full of the delicious champagne.

"I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of ordering some things." Nate said with a wink.

"Are you really Nate Archibald?" Blair asked incredulously. Nate chuckled.

"Afraid so." He said.

He held up his glass and Blair copied him, still smiling.

"Here's to the beautiful woman that is sitting across from me and two old friends reconnecting." Nate said. Blair flushed. They clinked glasses and both took a sip.

A second waiter walked over with two small plates, each holding a raw oyster. Blair just looked at Nate and shook her head, amazed that this was the same boy from her youth.

By the time the third course rolled around, Nate and Blair had caught up on almost everything that had happened since high school. She regaled him with tales of her failed engagements and he, in turn, spoke about his numerous disastrous relationships.

Dessert was chocolate dipped strawberries. Blair was shocked that Nate had actually taken the time to order everything in advance and more surprised that he remembered her favorite foods.

"So, I heard about your date with Chuck." Nate began after taking a bite of a strawberry.

"Jealous?" Blair taunted and took a bite of her own fruit, savoring the taste.

Nate watched her eat it, mesmerized by her beauty. He tried to remember why he had ever looked at Serena when he had Blair all to himself. He chalked it up to hormones and the-grass-is-greener complex.

"Should I be?" Nate teased back.

"Of course you should. After all, I'm the one that got away." She said, and then recoiled.

There was an awkward silence and Blair regretted ever saying it.

"Blair." Nate finally breathed.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Blair said as her face turned red.

"Why not? It's the truth." Nate said almost remorsefully.

Blair quickly changed the subject after that and the rest of the meal went on quite pleasantly. Neither would acknowledge the significance of what had been said although both were interested in what the other was thinking.

After dinner and dessert, Nate took Blair back to the Palace and walked her to her door.

"I had a really nice time tonight." Blair said softly to Nate.

"Me too." He said, gazing deep into her eyes.

"It was really fun to, you know, catch up." She continued, wondering if he was planning to kiss her.

"Definitely." He agreed.

Nate leaned in for a kiss, but then thought better of it. He didn't want to come on too strong and scare her away so instead he hugged her and said goodnight.

Blair stood in the hallway minutes after Nate had left, wondering what had happened. She shook her head, walked to the elevator, and pressed the button for Serena's suite.

She pounded on the door, forgetting the late hour. Finally, a sleepy Serena opened the door and Blair pushed her way in.

"I don't even know where to begin." Blair said, as she sat down on the living room couch.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: **I own nothing except the story line and the characters not seen in the show!

Thanks for all of the reviews, they really meant a lot to me!!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Serena sighed, knowing that this would definitely be a long night.

"Well, just start from the beginning." She said exasperatedly and sat down across from Blair, willing her eyes to stay open.

"I think I had a sex dream about Chuck." Blair rushed.

"What?" Serena shouted now suddenly wide awake.

"I mean, it would have been a sex dream if he and your son hadn't come to wake me up." Blair explained as if the fact that things hadn't moved that far made it okay.

"What do you mean it _would _have been a sex dream?" Serena asked, trying to remain calm.

"I mean, I dreamt that we were in my room and he was holding my hand. And then I told him to join me on the bed, and then we kissed. But then Ryan was jumping on my bed in real life and he woke me up." Blair said quickly.

"So what do you think this means?" Serena asked, attempting to stay non-judgmental although she was slightly disgusted.

"I don't know. I mean, we have spent a lot of time together these past couple of days, and he rescued me from this guy at the bar the other night. Maybe I'm just lonely and I'm trying to latch onto the nearest person for comfort." Blair responded.

"B, he's engaged." Serena sighed.

"I know. And I would never try anything with him, it's just I haven't stopped thinking about this dream. And then when I went to the park with him and Ryan, we were in his limo and I couldn't help remembering our first time together." Blair said.

"Wait, what?" Serena asked.

"Our first time," Blair said blushing, "it was in the backseat of his limo."

"Blair, all this time and you never told me that you had dirty limo sex with Chuck." Serena scolded but she was amused.

"It wasn't dirty limo sex…he was gentle. Besides, I didn't think you would want to hear the sordid details of our affair." Blair said with a small smirk.

"Okay, good point." Serena admitted. "So that's it, that's the reason you woke me up at twelve in the morning."

"No. After the park with Chuck, I came back to my room and Nate was waiting for me. He asked me out to dinner and I accepted." Blair paused, catching her breath.

"He took me to the place we had our first date and he ordered all of my favorite foods. We were talking and flirting and relaxed and we were both having fun." Blair went on.

"Did he kiss you?" Serena asked her voice loud with anticipation.

Blair was about to respond when a groggy Dan stumbled out of his bedroom to see what had woken him.

"Serena, what the hell is going on?" He mumbled.

"Blair and I are talking." Serena said, interested to hear the rest of Blair's story.

"This is perfect; I need a guy's opinion anyway." Blair said.

"Dan, sit down for a minute and tell me what you think. Nate and I went out tonight and we had a really good time and he brought me back to the Palace and he leaned in to kiss me, and instead he gave me a hug." Serena gasped when she heard this, but Blair ignored her.

"What the hell does this mean? Was it a date? Was it just a platonic dinner between friends? Is he trying to fuck with my mind? Is he mind-fucking me, Dan?" Blair demanded, getting a little worked up about the matter.

"I have no fucking clue, Blair. It's after midnight and I'm tired. But from what it sounds like, it was just dinner between two old friends. Now why don't you go back to your room and get some rest." Dan said and walked back to his room.

"Yeah. Yeah, Dan's probably right." Blair said.

"Probably." Serena agreed.

"Anyway, that was it. I just needed to know what to make of everything. I'm going to go. Love you, S. And thanks for listening." Blair said and walked over to the door.

"Love you too, B." Serena said and headed over to her bedroom.

"Sorry about all of this." Blair said.

"What are friends for?" Serena asked. Blair smiled and left.

* * *

"So, I heard about your dinner with Blair." Dan said conversationally to Nate as they sat in one of the Palace's restaurants enjoying a quick meal before work.

It was Thursday, the day that Nate, Chuck, and Dan usually met for breakfast to catch up before heading off to work. Today though, Chuck hadn't shown up. Dan and Nate assumed he had spent the night at Joanna's, as he had done on several other occasions, and would not be coming. They were wrong.

Just as Dan had spoken, the two men saw a nervous looking Chuck and a pissed-off looking Joanna enter the restaurant. He was trying to talk to her and she looked like she was having none of it.

Chuck caught Dan's eye and mouthed "help," subtly pointing to Joanna. Dan nodded and got up, cutting off Joanna's march to a private table.

"Hey Chuck, Joanna, why don't you guys join us?" Dan asked in an innocent tone.

Joanna muttered something inaudible but grudgingly sat down across from Nate. Chuck slid in next to her and Dan sat next to Nate.

"What were you guys talking about?" Chuck said, trying to get Joanna's mind off of a certain brunette who seemed to be causing a great deal of trouble in his relationship.

"I was just telling Nate that I heard about his dinner with Blair yesterday." Dan informed, and Chuck inwardly groaned as Joanna stiffened at the mention of that particular name.

"Wait, how did you hear about it? Did Blair tell Serena?" Nate asked curiously, neither guy realizing the pleading looks Chuck was sending them.

"No, actually, I heard it from Blair herself, at around twelve this morning." Dan answered with some annoyance.

"What?" Nate asked in an eager voice.

"Yeah, she was all worked up over it." Dan continued.

"Was she, now? Looks like I still got the moves." Nate said smugly.

"What do you mean?" Dan asked.

"She was all worked up over me. It means the date went well." Nate explained.

"It was a date?" Dan suddenly asked, feeling slightly tense.

"Of course, isn't that what she said?" Nate questioned.

"No. She told Serena and me that she didn't know what it was. She didn't know if it was a date or a dinner between two old friends. I told her it sounded like the latter." Dan said, suddenly feeling he had made the wrong judgment.

"You what?" Nate demanded angrily.

"Was I not supposed to?" Dan asked.

"No! What were you thinking, man?" Nate yelled.

"Chill. How was I supposed to know what to say? And besides, it sounded like it was just dinner between friends to me. You didn't even kiss her." Dan tried to defend himself.

"Because I didn't want to freak her out." Nate argued.

"Relax, okay. This can be rectified." Dan said.

"How?" Nate asked angrily.

"Well, you could umm, what you could do is invite her to game night tomorrow night." Dan stuttered.

"And how would _that_ help anything. Dinner and board games with you, Serena, Chuck, and Joanna isn't very romantic." Nate said.

"You ready for this, Serena bought this _couple's_ board game, 'The Newlywed Game' or something. Anyway, it's perfect." Dan said.

"Alright. Yeah, that might work. It'll remind her of all the things we have in common." Nate thought out loud.

Upon hearing this, Chuck flinched. He didn't want to have to witness a Nate-Blair date, especially with Joanna not trusting him. He didn't want to do anything that might further anger her. She was already suspicious enough that he had more than just-friend feelings for Blair as it was. And to be honest, he wasn't sure if she was wrong.

"Chuck, Joanna, you in?" Nate asked now excited at the prospect of winning Blair over.

"Sure." Chuck said, trying to sound calm.

"Wouldn't miss it." Joanna said, shooting Chuck a look that said 'I'm watching you.'

* * *

"Sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Blair called as Dan opened the door to his suite.

Everyone was already seated at the dinner table, and looked like they had been there for a while.

"You okay, B?" Serena asked.

"Okay? I am more than okay, I'm fantastic." Blair replied enthusiastically.

"Why's that?" Serena said as Blair shrugged off her jacket to give to Dan.

Everyone paused for a moment at the sight of what Blair was wearing. It was an absurdly short grey and black smock dress that left very little to the imagination.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Dan said bluntly. Blair smiled.

"It's called a dress." She shot back sardonically.

"Says who?" Dan asked with a smirk.

"Christian Dior. Anyway, the reason that I was late was this." Blair said excitedly and pointed at her feet, or more specifically her shoes.

"Oh my God, those shoes are…are…" Serena started but couldn't seem to describe the perfection of the Michael Kors silver sling backs.

"I believe the word you're looking for is orgasmic, and yes they are." Blair said satisfactorily.

"I thought they weren't available until June." Joanna spoke for the first time since Blair's arrival.

"Let's just say, I know a guy." Blair said with a smug grin.

"And now you're going to be so happy that I was late because," Blair paused and pulled a bag from behind her and opened it, pulling out two shoe boxes. "I got you these!" She finished in triumph.

She handed Serena one box and Joanna the other.

"I had to guess your size, but you looked like and eight." Blair said to Joanna, who nodded that Blair had guessed right.

"And I know that you have freakishly large size eleven giant feet." Blair said with a smirk to Serena.

"I love you." Serena breathed.

"I hear that all the time but it never gets old." Blair replied and sat in the remaining seat at the table, next to Nate and across from Chuck. Joanna sat to Chuck's right and Serena and Dan sat at the heads.

"This was very thoughtful of you, but I can't accept these." Joanna said.

"What? Of course you can." Blair said.

"No, no they're too much." Joanna continued.

"Look, I know we just met and everything but you're marrying one of my oldest friends so you're like family now." Blair explained as Serena slid on her new shoes.

"I would be thoroughly offended if you did not accept these." Blair added, which seemed to satisfy Joanna.

"Thank you." Joanna muttered.

"My pleasure." Blair said, and turned to Nate.

"So I hear we're married now." She said and he blushed.

"Yeah, I guess so." He said sheepishly. "It's only a game."

"I know, that was a joke." Blair said and rolled her eyes. "Anyway…"

* * *

"Nathanial Archibald, now you listen to me. If you do not start getting some questions right real fast, there won't be any Nate Juniors in your future. Have I made myself clear?" Blair yelled to Nate, who was sitting next to her and flinched at her harsh tone.

"Yes, sir." He said in mock respect.

"That's not funny." She said back.

"This is pathetic. We are losing to Mr. and Mrs. So-Cute-You-Want-To-Puke and these two, who have know each other for like a second. So let me repeat myself, get your shit together." Blair ranted.

"Me? What about you? How could you not know that lacrosse is my favorite sport?" Nate demanded.

"Give me a break. The only thing you ever talked about for twelve years was sailing." Blair said.

"Sailing is not a sport, Miss Perfect." Nate said patronizingly.

"It most certainly is." Blair defended.

"Okay you two, let's break it up." Serena said.

"Sorry." They both mumbled.

"Now, Dan please read the next question." Serena said and let out a deep breath.

"Okay, so the girls guess first. Everyone clear your boards." Dan instructed.

He was referring to the dry erase boards that each player had, which allowed them to write down their guess. The idea of the game was the players were separated onto a team with their "other half." One player would read a question and a player on each team would have to guess what their significant other's response would be. Every correct guess would allow a team to move their piece a step further on the game board.

"At what age did your partner lose his or her virginity?" Dan read.

The girls scribbled down their answers and then hid their boards from their partners.

"Okay, Nate, let's start with you." Dan directed.

"Fifteen." He said.

Dan then pointed to Blair, who flipped over her erase board to reveal the number fifteen. She gave Nate a high five. They moved their piece up a space.

"Chuck." Dan said.

"Thirteen." Chuck answered.

Joanna's face flashed in rage for a moment as she flipped over her board to reveal that she had written sixteen down. They did not move their piece.

"And sixteen for me." Dan said and gave his wife a wink. Blair mimed throwing up.

Serena raised a fist in the air as she flipped over her board where the number sixteen was written in messy handwriting. Their piece advanced one space forward.

"Okay, now the guys guess." Serena said cheerily.

Each guy scribbled his answer on his own dry erase board and held it so that his partner couldn't see.

"Okay, we'll start with Serena." Dan ordered.

"Fifteen." She said and Dan's board showed the number fifteen on it.

"Seventeen." Joanna said and Chuck flipped his board over where the number seventeen was written.

Finally, it was Blair's turn. She was looking somewhat uncomfortable about the whole situation and wasn't looking Nate in the eye.

"Sixteen." She mumbled and Nate looked at her in shock.

"What?" He demanded disbelief and anger mixed in his voice.

"What? I meant seventeen." Blair said quickly, realizing her mistake.

"No you didn't, Blair." Nate said with his anger growing.

"Wait a minute. We broke up the day before your seventeenth birthday, the night you went to Victrola with Chuck." Nate began, putting the pieces together. Blair looked down.

"So, so in order for you to have lost your virginity when you were sixteen, you had to have slept with him within a day of our breakup." Nate said glaring at Chuck.

"Nate, it doesn't matter." Blair said softly.

"What do you mean it doesn't matter?" Nate demanded with fury.

"It was a long time ago; let's just go on to the next question." Blair said and looked pointedly at Dan.

"You sick son-of-a-bitch." Nate yelled to Chuck. "You couldn't wait one minute to get your hands on her, could you?"

"Nate, c'mon man, let it go." Chuck said with a forced laugh.

"How could you do this to me?" He said his voice laced with pain.

"Nate, could we just not do this right now." Blair pleaded.

"Un-fucking-believable." Nate said and stormed into the guest bedroom.

Blair stood up but Chuck put his hand up to stop her.

"Let me." He said and followed Nate.

After five minutes of loud yelling and sounds of things crashing, Nate stalked out of the bedroom and forcefully grabbed his coat. He strode out the door, not saying anything to anyone.

Chuck emerged from the bedroom with a black eye and a bloody nose. All three women gasped and Dan walked to the kitchen to get ice.

"Oh my God, Chuck, I am so sorry." Blair said.

"It's not your fault." He tried to reassure her as Joanna examined his face.

"Maybe we should go to the ER." Joanna said worriedly.

"I'll be fine." Chuck said and grabbed the icepack from Dan.

"I'm sorry." Blair said to no one in particular.

"I think I'm going to go, S." Blair said as she picked up her coat.

"I feel terrible." She said as she gave her best friend a hug.

"Don't worry about it; this was totally Nate's fault. He overreacted." Serena tried to soothe her.

"I should have known that this would upset him." Blair said and shook her head.

"Anyway, bye everyone. Sorry again, Chuck." She said and walked out the door.

* * *

Blair sat at the bar silently nursing her drink, a scotch this time. Chuck slid into the seat next to her.

"Come here often?" He asked as the bartender handed him his own glass of scotch.

She chuckled and turned to look at him.

"I cannot tell you how sorry I am. I feel just awful about all of this." Blair said quickly.

"Relax, Blair. This wasn't your fault." Chuck said and took a sip of the amber liquid.

"I should have just said seventeen. I don't know why I even did that." Blair continued.

"It's fine. Nate will come around tomorrow when he's sober and realized he was being an ass." Chuck responded and looked at Blair.

"I'm not supposed to be talking to you." He whispered after a moment.

"What? Why not?" She whispered back.

"Joanna, she…she's very protective over me. She seems to think there's something going on between us." He managed to get out.

"How could she think that? Should I talk to her?" Blair asked.

"No. I'm dealing with it." Chuck said.

"Oh. Maybe I should go then. I don't want to get you in trouble with your fiancée." Blair stuttered and made to get up.

Chuck grabbed her arm.

"Don't. I like spending time with you. I've missed you." Chuck said and Blair sat back down.

"Me too." She agreed.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally Blair turned to Chuck again.

"Chuck, do you ever wonder what would've happened if we stayed together." Blair asked with red cheeks.

"All the time." He said.

She moved closer to him, grabbed his face with her small hands, and pulled him into a mind-blowing electrifying kiss.

* * *

Some quotes in the story above were borrowed from other works, so I've cited them here for anyone who's interested.

"What the hell are you wearing?"

"It's called a dress."

"Says who?" – Clueless (Movie) (This isn't a direct quote but it is very similar to the actual lines from the movie)

"I hear that all the time but it never gets old." – American Wedding (Movie)


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: **I own nothing except the story line and the characters not seen in the show!

Thanks for all of the reviews, they really meant a lot to me!!

A portion of this chapter is **rated M** for sexual content. This will be clearly indicated and if this rating offends you, you may skip over it. The general plot of the story will not be lost to you.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

They finally separated, each out of breath, gasping for air. Blair looked around, but no one that they knew was currently in the bar.

"I'm sorry." She muttered still out of breath.

"It-it's okay." Chuck managed to get out.

Blair held her hand to her chest, trying to regain her composure. She downed the rest of her scotch. Chuck did the same.

"So…" She said.

"So…" He mimicked.

"I better get going." Blair stuttered.

"I'll walk you up." Chuck said and Blair nodded.

The elevator ride was pure anguish for the two of them, neither wanting to look at the other. Finally they stopped at their desired destination and Blair walked out followed by Chuck.

"Well, thanks for walking me to my door." Blair said and awkwardly stuck out her hand.

"My pleasure." Chuck murmured and ignoring her hand, leaned in for a kiss, which she met fervently.

Blair ran her fingers around his neck and through his hair, pulling him closer, while Chuck sucked on her neck, giving her love bites. She struggled to get her room key out and somehow managed to open the door. They stumbled inside.

**Start Rated M**

"I see we're going commando today." Chuck murmured as he pushed Blair against her bedroom door, slowly sliding his hand higher up her leg.

"Umm hmm." Blair giggled as Chuck's hand taunted her.

"I must say, I like this new side of you." Chuck whispered.

He finally gave in to Blair's whimpers, letting his hands slide over her center. At this, she gruffly grabbed his face and her hot tongue plundered his mouth.

"I have wanted to fuck you since the moment I saw you." She whined between wet kisses as he carried her to her bed, her legs now wrapped around his waist.

"Is that so?" He asked with a smirk.

"Yes it is." She said mischievously.

And with that she began unbuckling his belt as he quickly pulled at the buttons on his shirt. She finished first and helped him with his shirt. He ripped his undershirt off and tossed it to the side, then moving on to his shoes.

However, he stopped in his tracks as he saw her pull her sorry excuse for a dress over her head. She wasn't wearing anything underneath.

"Let's go, Bass. I haven't got all day." She purred and laid back on her bed, legs separated, shoes still on.

She watched him watch her as he hastened to finish undressing.

"So, did you want to fuck me?" She asked coyly.

"I have wanted to fuck you for the past seven years." He murmured and finished with his clothes.

He moved back onto the bed, settling between her legs. For a while they just kissed ferociously, hands re-exploring each other. Then things got interesting.

His hands glided to her now bare chest and she moaned as he began to massage each breast, alternating between the two.

"Chuck…" She cried out breathily.

"I love how you say my name." He murmured.

"Shut up." She said and flipped them over so she was now on top.

"Do you love how I do this?" She asked as she took hold of his length.

He let out a groan in reply. She began pumping him slowly at first, but pace quickening.

"Blair…" He moaned.

"What?" She asked innocently.

He flipped them over essentially stopping her actions.

"We're not done quite yet." He growled with a smirk.

His hands traced the length of her body while he kissed her neck, throat, chest. His fingers moved past her stomach, resting on her hips as she let out quiet moans. Then he parted her legs and began tracing light circles on her inner thighs with his fingers.

He enjoyed teasing her, hands moving ever so close but stopping just short of her core, then trailing his hands back down her thighs. Finally, though, he acquiesced to her cries and let his fingers slip inside of her. She called out his name.

He smirked and began pumping her, gently sliding in another finger. She moaned again and again. He was surprised at her wetness; it still amazed him after all this time how hot he could get her. But then again, she could get him pretty hot too.

Finally, her cries becoming more frequent, he slid his thumb over her clit and circled it. This apparently was all she needed, she was over the edge.

She lay back staring at him in pure bliss; he smiled at her, feeling about ready to explode himself.

"Drawer." She managed to gasp.

He reached over to her nightstand and pulled out a condom, sliding it on and positioning himself between her legs. He entered with such force and passion that she thought she would die right then and there.

They kept this up for most of the night, finally succumbing to sleep only when their bodies couldn't take any more of their lovemaking.

**End Rated M**

* * *

Blair awoke the next morning still in Chuck's arms. She turned over to look at him and realized he had been watching her sleep.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" She whispered.

"You looked so peaceful." He said simply.

She smiled at him and he kissed her gently on her lips. Lips that were now swollen from last night's doings. This action, though small, brought her back to reality. She had escaped the real world and its consequences last night, giving in to her passion and desires but in the light of day, she couldn't help but feel immense guilt.

Chuck sensed her change in demeanor and rolled to his side of the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Look Chuck…" Blair began.

She sat up and pulled him up with her, looking him square in the eye. This would not be easy.

"Last night was…incredible. It really was." She said. He smiled at her words.

"I know." He murmured. She gave a small smile in return.

"But we can't do this again." She said with more conviction than she felt.

"I know." He sighed.

"Don't get me wrong, last night was…perfect, but Chuck, you are engaged." She breathed.

"I know." He said and moved closer to her. She could feel his hot breath on her lips.

"So this can never happen again." She repeated, trying to remain strong. Though with each passing second, her control was dwindling.

"I know." He agreed, now looking her square in the eye, noses grazing each other.

"You should probably go now." She whispered.

"I know." He said and kissed her softly.

She reciprocated with a fire similar to the night before, a thirst for his touch that could not be quenched.

"After a quick shower?" She asked, pulling him up with her and walking towards the bathroom.

"I know." He said with a smirk.

* * *

"Sorry, I know I'm late." Blair said trying to catch her breath.

"That's okay, we were just chatting." Serena said.

Joanna nodded her head curtly. She was not too pleased when Serena mentioned that Blair was joining them for brunch today. Joanna was expecting it to be just the four of them; Chuck, Serena, Dan, and herself. Now _she_ was here.

Joanna did not like Miss Blair Waldorf and she most certainly did not trust her. She saw the way that Blair looked at Chuck and the way that he looked at her. There was an undeniable chemistry between the two which was very worrisome indeed.

Not that she doubted Chuck's love for her; Joanna was almost positive that Chuck loved her. He told her that constantly and he was the first one to say it in their relationship. But lately, his words seemed more mechanic than anything else.

"Oh, what about?" Blair asked, stirring Joanna out of her thoughts.

"The wedding." Joanna said tersely and gave Blair a sharp look.

"That's exciting." Blair chirped, trying to sound happy for the couple.

However, at the mention of said nuptials, Blair felt another round of guilt of the transgressions of last night and this morning. Not to mention the feeling of jealousy which she never knew she had. In some ways she felt like it should be her wedding to Chuck they were talking about, but she knew that was silly.

For a while there was idle chit-chat, nothing too serious. The topic of Nate was brought up, but only briefly and everyone seemed to find it more amusing than offensive.

"What has you smiling?" Serena asked about halfway through the meal.

"What?" Blair asked trying to play it cool.

"You have been smiling non-stop since you got here." Serena continued, looking at Blair as if trying to read her mind.

"Really? I didn't even notice." Blair said and tried to brush it off.

"Yes. I would even go as far as to say you were _glowing_." Dan added, emphasizing the last word.

"Yeah." Serena agreed. "You looked like you have been thoroughly fucked." Serena concluded with a smirk

"Serena!" Blair exclaimed as she blushed furiously, essentially confirming Serena's statement.

"Oh my God! You totally have. And look, there's even evidence." Serena teased.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Blair said in a warning voice.

"You lips say no, the hickey on your neck says yes." Serena said with a grin.

Blair quickly pulled a small mirror out of her purse to examine her neck and gasped when she saw that Serena was right. Her face turned fire engine red and she took a large gulp of her vodka and tonic.

"B," Serena began seriously, "you didn't sleep with Nate did you?" Serena asked.

"No, of course not." Blair shouted in mortification.

"Then who?" Serena egged her on. Blair glared at her, but she didn't even flinch.

"Serena, this is not an appropriate conversation for brunch. Joanna, continue what you were saying about the floral arrangements." Blair said with a tone of finality.

Everyone stared intently at Blair, except Chuck of course who was trying to be inconspicuous and act like he wasn't about to jump out of his skin. Finally, Joanna broke her gaze and went on about her dislike of lilies and how they would most definitely not be in any centerpiece.

Blair shot Chuck a nervous look when she was sure no one was looking at her, and he gave a slight jerk of his head in response. This was shaping up to be one of the most painful brunches in Blair's entire existence. And that included the time she told Dan about Serena and Nate all those years ago.

* * *

Blair was anxiously flipping through channels on the TV when someone knocked gently at her door. She walked over, hoping it was Nate so that she could clear the air with him. She felt horrible about the events of game night and wanted to make amends. Sure he had overreacted but he was still a friend and she didn't want to lose that relationship again.

Blair sighed when she looked through the peephole and saw Chuck nervously standing there, looking around to make sure no one was watching him.

"Chuck, you shouldn't be here." Blair said, opening her door.

"We need to talk." He said, letting himself in and strolling to the couch.

* * *

**AN:** A brief note on the "sex scene," I apologize if anyone found this inappropriate, however, I felt that it fit well in the story and needed to be done in order to move the storyline in the direction I want it to go. Additionally, I'm sorry if it was not well-written, as this is not my forte.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: **I own nothing except the story line and the characters not seen in the show!

Thanks for all of the reviews, they really meant a lot to me!!

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"Serena, what the hell is this?" Dan demanded angrily as he walked into their living room.

Serena and Lily had Ryan dressed in clothes that were emasculating, to say the least. Dan was never one to question his wife; he knew it was better to just accept her crazy antics, crazy mother, and crazy best friend, but this was too much.

"I think he looks adorable." Lily said beaming at Ryan.

"Adorable? He looks like his name should be Rebecca in that outfit." Dan continued in outrage.

"Dan, it's his costume for the school play." Serena explained, smiling at Ryan.

"My son is not wearing _that_ in public." Dan ranted.

"Don't be ridiculous, Dan. This isn't a public showing, it's only for the friends and family of the preschoolers." Lily said in an exasperated tone.

"What is he supposed to be, anyway?" Dan asked, afraid to hear the answer.

"I'm a fairy, Daddy." Ryan shouted with glee and proceeded to glide around the room holding out his arms, as if he were flying.

"A fairy, Serena? My son will not be playing a _fairy_." Dan whispered angrily.

"What am I supposed to do, Dan? He specifically asked the teacher if he could do it." Serena whispered back.

"Damn it Serena, I knew you and your mother should never have taken him shopping with you all those times." Dan sighed in frustration.

"Relax, Dan, he's in love with Blair. He doesn't have any same-sex tendencies." Serena responded.

"Well either way I don't think his requesting to portray a fairy is a good sign." Dan said, sitting on the couch and resting his head in his hands.

"You don't like my outfit, Daddy?" Ryan asked with a frown.

"I do, but wouldn't you rather be a prince or a knight?" Dan asked hopefully.

"No, I like being a fairy. I get to fly and sprinkle fairy dust." Ryan chirped and continued to "fly" around the living room.

"Dan, don't make this into a bigger deal than it is. It's just a play, okay? And besides, even if Ryan were to turn out _that way_, we would still love him just the same, right?" Serena asked forcefully.

"Of course, but no father wants to see his son dressed like a girl." Dan admitted.

"I'll try to talk to him, alright?" Serena said. Dan just nodded and sighed as Ryan pretended to sprinkle dust on his father's head.

* * *

Blair sat down on the couch across from Chuck, unwilling to lift her head up. Chuck stared at her for several minutes; however, it soon became clear that he would have to initiate this conversation.

"So, what's going on in that pretty head of yours?" Chuck asked trying to sound nonchalant.

Blair lifted her face and Chuck noticed that she had been silently crying.

"I'm so sorry." She said meekly.

"What? Blair you have no reason to be sorry." Chuck tried to soothe Blair but tears were streaming down her cheeks at an alarming rate.

"Yes I do." Blair said, letting out her first real sob.

Chuck couldn't take the sight of her so upset, especially when it had something to do with him. He slowly got up and sat down on the couch she was occupying, right next to her. Blair gave him one look and he held out his arms as she sobbed into his chest.

"Chuck, I'm such a bad person." She whispered.

"Shh, don't say that. It took two people to do _that_." Chuck said with a smirk.

Blair looked up at the sound of his voice, which had turned rather playful and she rolled her eyes.

"You are extremely disgusting, did you know that?" Blair asked, her crying ceased.

"That's all part of my charm." Chuck retorted, signature smirk in place.

"Yeah, yeah." Blair said.

"So what did you want to talk about, anyway?" Blair asked in a calm voice, eyes free of tears.

"This." He said simply and leaned in to kiss her.

At first, Blair was hesitant, if not unresponsive. However, she soon relinquished all thoughts of Joanna and responsibility and leaned into him, deepening the kiss. She stood up and pulled him along with her, heading towards her bed.

Suddenly a timid knock sounded at her door. Blair froze. Chuck, having more experience in situations similar to this immediately ran to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Blair tried to fix her hair as best she could and wipe her lips as she moved towards the door.

"Hey, Nate." Blair said loudly, letting Chuck know who was at the door. Chuck had flashbacks to the debutant ball.

"Hi." He responded shyly, his head held low.

"Do you have a minute?" He asked.

"Sure." Blair said, leading him to the couch formally occupied by Chuck.

"First, I need to apologize for what happened last night. I was totally out of line. I should have just left the past in the past, it's just whenever that topic comes up I just feel a lot of regret. You know?" He asked, his eyes begging her to answer.

"Yeah." She said quietly.

"And I'm going to call Chuck and apologize to him too. Is he okay?" Nate continued.

"Umm hmm." Blair said, trying to maintain an even face.

"So, do you accept my apology or do I need to do some groveling?" Nate teased.

"No groveling for me but you may not get so lucky with Chuck." Blair said with a chuckle.

"God, you look beautiful." Nate muttered.

Blair looked at him in a mixture of joy and embarrassment.

"Look, there's this small party tonight at one of Chuck's clubs and everybody is going and I was wondering if maybe you would want to go with me. As a date." Nate added, not wanting to repeat the same mistake twice.

Blair thought for a minute, knowing full well that Chuck was listening to every word that was said. She didn't know what she felt for him but she knew that it didn't matter, he wasn't hers anymore. Nate on the other hand was single and she enjoyed his company.

"I'd love to." She said and he grinned that smile of his that made her melt.

"Okay, we're all meeting in the lobby at 8:30." Nate said and strode to the door, a newfound spring in his step.

"Bye, Nate." Blair called after him as she shut the door.

"That was close." Chuck said, settling back on the couch.

"Chuck, this has got to stop." Blair said firmly, refusing to sit down.

Blair knew the moment that she was sitting next to Chuck she wouldn't be able to help herself and would do something that she would regret later. Eventually, this little affair or whatever it was would end, probably when he got married, and she would be left all alone. She had to nip this in the bud before it got out of hand and people started getting attached, namely her.

"What has got to stop?" Chuck said with faux innocence, walking towards her.

"Seriously, Chuck. Listen to me. Stop doing that." Blair ordered as Chuck kissed her neck. "Chuck!"

"Okay, I'm listening." He said.

"Good. Now, we both agree that last night was special, okay, but it can never happen again. You are engaged to a wonderful woman who loves you and who deserves a lot better than this." Blair said.

"But, Blair…" Chuck started.

"But nothing, Chuck. I have been Joanna. I know how it feels and I refuse to be the other woman. So let's just forget about this." Blair said as unshed tears filled her eyes.

"I don't know if I can." Chuck admitted.

"You can. We need to go back to the way things were before last night. That's just the way things are supposed to be." Blair stated.

"Alright." Chuck finally agreed.

"Okay, good." Blair said, half convincing herself that this was indeed a good thing.

"Goodbye, Chuck." Blair said as she walked over to the door and held it open, basically telling him to leave with using those exact words.

"Bye, Blair." He whispered and she could have sworn his eyes were a little red.

* * *

"Blair Waldorf?" An unfamiliar voice caught Blair's attention.

She was sitting at the most coveted table of the entire club, in the VIP section, of course. Being friends with the club's owner had its benefits. Sitting alongside of her was Nate, Dan, Serena, Chuck, and a very pleased Joanna.

Joanna was grinning, daring Blair and Serena to comment on her beautiful diamond necklace containing flawless pink diamonds that had apparently been a gift from Chuck. Blair was seething with envy, although she refused to admit it to herself, let alone show it to anyone else.

It was from these thoughts that she was pulled when she heard her name being called for a second time. Nate shook her shoulder, getting her attention.

"Sorry, yes, I'm Blair Waldorf." She said as she turned to face the stranger.

Her face froze as she realized that this was no stranger at all. In fact, he was a man that she knew all too well. She reminded herself to breath and smile.

"I thought I saw you." He said. "I'm Steven, Steven Brown." He said to the rest of the table. Only Dan and Serena looked interested at this.

"Hey, Steve, how's it going?" Dan asked in a friendly voice.

As far as Blair's fiancées went, Steve was one of the best in Dan's book. He was a smart guy who earned everything he had. Blair had met him at Yale during her junior year and he had proposed on the night of their graduation. She had said yes.

Unfortunately, things had gone downhill from there and Dan no longer hung out with Steve out of respect for Blair. But at one point, the two men had been pretty close.

"Good, man. Serena, how are you. How's Ryan?" Steve asked. Serena supplied only the basic response not sure of how to react.

Finally, when he was done with all of the pleasantries, Steve turned back to Blair, giving her a sad smile.

"How have you been?" He asked softly.

"I've been okay. How about you?" She responded.

"Alright, I suppose. So are you with, what's his name, James anymore?" Steven asked trying to keep his voice light.

"No. No James and I broke up." Blair answered sadly.

"I'm sorry to hear that." He said sincerely, which made everything more difficult. He _was_ sincere, he really _was_ sorry, he was perfect.

"So are you seeing anyone now?" He asked after several moments of awkward silence.

This question surprised Blair and she didn't know how to respond. Luckily for her, she didn't have to.

"Yes she is. I'm Nate Archibald, her boyfriend. Nice to meet you." Nate said sticking out his hand.

"Nice to meet you too. You're a lucky guy." Steven said.

"Yes I am." Nate said, putting an arm around Blair's shoulder.

"Just be careful with that one, she's a real heartbreaker." Steven said in a tone that suggested that he was joking and had come to terms with his breakup with Blair.

Steven quickly said bye to everyone and walked away.

As soon as he was gone, Blair dramatically rested her head on Nate's shoulder and sighed. Nate patted her back a couple of times, eliciting a sour face from Chuck and a pleased one from Joanna.

"Who was that?" Chuck asked in a tone that he prayed sounded casual.

"My first ex-fiancée." Blair sighed, finally picking her head up from Nate's shoulder but refusing to look at Chuck.

"_First_ ex-fiancée? How many were there?" Joanna asked in a tone of disapproval.

"Three." Blair breathed and held up three fingers to further emphasize.

"See with most people, its third time's the charm, but with our little Blair here we just don't know how many times it'll take to find Mr. Right." Dan teased sarcastically. Blair and Serena shot him death glares.

"Dan, has anyone ever told you how clever you are?" Blair asked in a voice that was somewhere between sugar-sweet and murderous.

"Yes, actually, I've been—" Dan began but was interrupted.

"Well they were lying." Blair shot back triumphantly. She then raised her right hand in the air and gave herself a hi-five.

"So why did you break up with him?" Joanna asked, realizing that this would be her chance to further demoralize Blair while still seeming innocent and kind.

Blair remained silent for a moment, looked briefly at Serena and then at her hands.

"I slept with his best friend." She mumbled and shook her head at herself.

"Can I get anything for anyone?" A waiter asked the table in general.

"Yeah, I'll have a bottle of Tanqueray and a shotgun." Blair said in a sorrowful voice. She then rested her head back on Nate's shoulder.

"She's just kidding." Nate said in response to the waiter's odd look. "She'll have a martini, heavy on the gin."

Everyone else ordered while Blair stayed put, Nate rubbing her back and whispering things in her ear to comfort her.

Dan, Serena, and Joanna were discussing the wedding, which would be at the end of September. Chuck was pretending to listen as he glanced at the exchange going on between Blair and Nate. He had half a mind to lunge across the table and grab Blair away from Nate, but he felt that doing so would probably upset Joanna.

Joanna. He knew he had been acting strange around her, for obvious reasons. Reasons that he didn't need her to know about. So he went to Harry Winston and picked out the most expensive diamond necklace he could find.

She loved it and her suspicions disappeared as counted the number of gems clustered about the platinum chain.

"Well on the bright side, it's nice to hear that I wasn't the only one to suffer that fate." Nate whispered and laughed at himself.

Blair punched him lightly in the stomach, but he moaned loudly all the same.

"I didn't cheat on you, idiot. We were broken up." She said and shook her head.

She felt someone's eyes on her and turned around just in time to see Chuck bring his head back into the conversation at his end of the table. She sighed. Things were just so complicated.

Several rounds of drinks later, everyone seemed to have loosened up. Even Blair was smiling and laughing. Chuck, however, was still withdrawn. He was trying not to let the sight of Nate's arm on Blair's shoulder bother him but he was failing miserably.

"…the Vera Wang dress has a train that's six feet. I think its way too long..." Joanna droned on about possible wedding dresses.

"That's what she said." Nate muttered in Blair's ear.

Blair couldn't help it. She was usually so composed but she had a couple of drinks in her, which was her excuse for letting out a loud snort of laughter. This was quickly followed by a fit of laughter that caused her stomach to hurt. Nate was chuckling as well, extremely pleased that _he_ was the one who had pulled Blair out of her bad mood.

"What's so funny?" Joanna demanded in a deadly voice, upset that Blair's outburst had interrupted her.

"He said…he said…" Blair tried to say something but she just kept laughing harder.

Finally Blair caught her breath and gave Nate a look of pure amusement.

"Nathanial Archibald, since when are you funny?" She asked ignoring the venom Joanna was spewing at her.

"I have _always_ been funny, Blair. My jokes were just too sophisticated for you." Nate retorted with a smirk that Chuck himself would be proud of if he didn't want to rip out Nate's jugular at the moment.

After no one else but Blair laughed at his joke, Nate shut is mouth. Everyone sat in strained silence for a while, the loud music in the club the only thing filling the quiet between them all.

Sensing that the tense atmosphere at the table was related to him and Blair, Nate thought it was best to separate for a bit. After all, he was on a date with Blair; they should spend some alone time together.

"Would you like to dance?" Nate asked with his arm outstretched waiting for Blair's tiny hand to take hold of it.

"I would love to." Blair said, briefly looking at Chuck and giving him a discreet wink.

* * *

Some quotes in the story above were borrowed from other works, so I've cited them here for anyone who's interested.

The first scene with Serena, Dan, Ryan, and Lily was based on an episode of the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: **I own nothing except the story line and the characters not seen in the show!

Thanks for all of the reviews, they really meant a lot to me!!

* * *

**Chapter 8**

She didn't know why she did it. As she allowed herself to be led to the dance floor by Nate, she winked at Chuck. Winked at Chuck. That was something she would do in high school, if she were trying to make him jealous.

But here she was, 24 years old, he was engaged and she was winking at him. And not one of those friendly, hey, how you doing winks. No, it was a don't-you-wish-you-were-with-me-right-now wink.

She had no business to do that. Even if she forgot the fact that he was engaged and his fiancée was sitting right next to him, _she_ was the one who told _him_ that they couldn't be together. And lest she forget whose arm she was attached to at that very moment.

Ugh, she just had to forget about Chuck, pretend the infamous wink never happened, and focus on enjoying her night with Nate. After all, he was looking ridiculously hot tonight in a charcoal Hugo Boss suit and white collared shirt, and it would be a shame to waste it.

* * *

Chuck stared after Blair's retreating figure, clad in a strapless cerulean dress that hugged her curves in just the right places, trying to understand what had just taken place. He had been pretending to listen to Joanna talk about the wedding for the ninth fucking time that day, all the while eavesdropping in on Blair and Nate's little whisper-fest.

Joanna had been complaining that something was _too long_ and Nate had whispered to Blair "That's what she said." Blair hadn't been able to contain herself and had burst into a fit of laughter.

Chuck silently cursed himself for turning Nate on to 'that's what she said jokes.' If _he_ hadn't told Nate a similar joke only hours before, Nate wouldn't have been able to use it to cheer Blair up and coerce her onto the dance floor.

And then, just as Blair was walking away with Nate, she winked at Chuck. What the fuck was that all about? He tried to rack his brain for some secret signal they had created years before but came up short. The wink had meant nothing except watch me have fun with your best friend and see what you're missing out on. Either that or she had a facial tick, he wasn't sure.

Chuck tried to shake it off. It had probably been nothing, his mind's imagination playing tricks on him. He turned his head back to the table and pretended to be interested in the bride's maid's dresses.

* * *

As Nate led Blair onto the dance floor, a fast song was blaring through the DJ's speakers. He was unsure of what to do. It wasn't that he had never danced with Blair to fast-paced songs before, but that was when they had been together, so grinding on each other hadn't seemed too weird.

She sensed his insecurities and decided to put her own aside and try to let lose. She pulled him flush against her body and proceeded to grind her hips into his. He responded with enthusiasm, glad that she had taken out all the guess work.

She pushed and pulled, spinned and twirled, while he just moved slowly, working around her movements. After several faster songs passed in this fashion, a slow song came on. Everyone quieted a little as all the couples merged together and held each other.

Nate held tight to Blair's waist as she clung to his neck, her head resting on his shoulder. She was still softly grinding her hips with his, which could prove slightly problematic in the near future if Nate didn't gain some control over himself.

She looked up at him with those large doe-eyes and he smiled his goofy smile at her, his blue eyes filled with lust. He ground his hips into hers, giving her a slight shock and causing her to let out a quiet gasp of pleasure simultaneously. He chuckled and so did she.

"Nate." She admonished, but only halfheartedly.

"Sorry." He said in a voice that sounded anything but sorry.

"Thank God you're pretty." She murmured. He just chuckled again.

* * *

"Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like they're watching soft core porn? Not that I know what soft core porn looks like." Dan quickly added at the look his wife gave him.

"What are you talking about?" Chuck asked, ears perking up at the mention of one of his favorite types of entertainment.

"I'm talking about Nate and Blair having sex over there." Dan said and pointed to the two familiar figures on the dance floor.

"Dan!" Serena bellowed.

"What Serena?" Dan asked, unable to tear his eyes away from the couple.

Chuck too was fixated on the two bodies that appeared to have been melded together into one.

"Well don't watch!" Serena said in an exasperated voice, realizing that her husband's words were not too far from the truth.

Blair and Nate were dancing in a way that would be deemed unsuitable for children under the age of 17 to watch. Even as the slow song changed to a fast song, Nate held Blair tighter still to his body and she seemed in no hurry to let go of him either.

"What is she doing?" Serena asked to no one in particular.

"It seems pretty obvious to me." Dan retorted with a smirk.

"Doesn't it make her a slut to sleep with one guy one day and go after a new guy the next?" Joanna asked in a fake sweet voice rivaling Blair herself.

Serena, Dan, and Chuck each glared at her. Serena looked away in disgust muttering things under her breath about digging for gold. Chuck mouthed "what was that?" to Joanna and Dan returned to looking at the happy couple on the dance floor.

* * *

After a while Nate leaned into Blair's ear and whispered something that made Blair's whole body turn rigid. Her face froze and her eyes were glued to his. This happened for only a second before she was coughing loudly and quite violently.

Nate strode over to the bar and Blair ran back to the table, out of breath and looking extremely pale.

"Nate just said he loved me." She shouted to Serena, forgetting who was sitting at the table.

"What?" Serena asked in total confusion.

"Nate told me he loved me. He said 'Blair, I love you.' Just now." Blair rushed out.

"What did you say?" Dan asked the obvious question.

"Nothing. I faked a cough and hauled ass out of there." Blair said as she sat next to Serena, finally remembering that Chuck was at the table.

"Where did Nate go?" Chuck asked in forced composure. Inside he was on fire, jealousy overtaking his every thought.

"He went to the bar to get me a drink." Blair explained, glancing at Chuck for only a moment.

"He probably meant it in the friend way though, right?" Blair pleaded for someone to reassure her.

"No, I don't think so." Dan said.

"What do you mean you don't think so?" Blair demanded angrily.

"I mean I don't think he meant it in the friend way. I think he meant it in the not-friend way." Dan clarified.

"Dan, you aren't helping." Blair said.

"Would you rather I lie to you?" Dan asked sarcastically. Blair ignored him.

"Okay, here's the plan. Number one, we all pretend this conversation never happened, alright? And number two, I pretend that I didn't hear what he said." Blair said.

Serena looked at her like she was insane.

"_That_ is your plan?" Serena questioned.

"Yeah. I know Nate; he'll be too embarrassed to say it to me again if I don't bring it up first." Blair explained.

"That's great Blair. You're going to embarrass Nate so he won't tell you he loves you." Serena retorted.

"What else can I do?" Blair asked, failing to see how her idea was faulty.

"Call me crazy, but why don't you just tell him how you feel?" Dan asked.

"Because…I don't know how I feel. I mean one day we're in a fight, the next day he loves me. Why is he doing this to me?" Blair sighed.

"You're right, he's so selfish. How dare he love you?" Dan asked in mock horror.

"I mean, I just got out of an engagement for crying out loud. I'm home for a week and he's professing his love for me. Where was he seven years ago?" Blair asked, ignoring Dan's comments. No one said anything.

"Oh shit, he's coming over. Okay, everyone act natural. And Dan, let's not have a repeat of the other day." Blair said glaring at Dan.

"Who told you?" Dan asked, not the least bit ashamed, referring to his telling Nate about his late night chat with Blair.

"I'm Blair Waldorf; I know all." She said with a slight smirk.

Nate jogged back to the table with a bottle of water in tow and a concerned look on his face.

"Are you okay?" He asked in genuine concern and handed Blair the water bottle.

She nodded, making a show of taking a drink.

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks." She said.

"No problem." Nate answered and an awkward silence ensued.

Nobody knew what to say or if they should even say anything at all.

Finally, Blair saw a passing waiter and called him over.

"Two shots of the strongest shit you have." She said quickly.

"Blair!" Serena scolded her.

"Good call, S. Better make it three." Blair said and the waiter was gone.

"So." Dan said, the silence finally getting to him.

"So." Serena repeated, looking at Blair. Blair pretended she didn't see her.

"Blair. I just meant it as a friend. I love you as a friend. You don't need to freak out." Nate said softly.

"What are you talking about?" Blair asked, feigning confusion.

"I heard you across the bar. You're very loud when you're anxious, did you know?" He said with a sly grin. Blair blushed.

"Well thank God!" Blair said, a little too enthusiastically.

Nate's face turned pink and his eyes lost their luster. A small frown worked its way onto his lips. He felt as if someone had driven a knife into his heart.

"No. I…I didn't mean it like that. It's just, it's you and I…and I love you as a friend too and it's all very strange for me too and…" She trailed off, trying to find the right words to comfort him.

As if on cue, the waiter walked over with her shots. Blair downed them all within ten seconds. She shook her head, wincing as the whiskey burned the back of her throat, but in a good way.

"Delicious." She commented and everyone laughed.

"S…" Blair began after a minute or two of thinking.

"B…" Serena responded, sensing that Blair had something up her sleeve.

"Do you remember _the routine_?" Blair asked innocently.

Serena looked at her in awe, shocked that Blair still remembered it. But then again, this was Blair. Serena grinned and Blair had an evil glint in her eye.

"Nate?" Blair asked in a devilishly-sweet voice.

"No." He said simply.

"What do you mean no?" Blair asked coyly, edging closer to him, her hand resting lightly on his leg.

"I mean there's no fucking way that you two will get me to do it." Nate said sternly, refusing to look either girl in the eye.

"Oh really?" Serena asked incredulously.

"Really." He deadpanned.

"What if we made it worth your while?" Blair said, winking at Serena.

"Yeah Natie, what if we made it worth your while?" Serena said, leaning towards Nate.

"Uh, Serena, Blair can do whatever she wants but you're married." Dan said in mild concern.

"Relax Daniel. Nate, we're not asking you. We know you remember it and we know you want to do it, so suck it up and be a man." Blair said trying a new tactic as the old one seemed to have no apparent affect on Nate.

"Blair, you are no longer my girlfriend so you don't get to tell me what to do." Nate said.

Everyone at the table was stunned by his words. Blair was frozen in her seat.

And then, without warning Blair fiercely grabbed Nate's face, kissing him deeply and with such vigor that his chair was pushed back. She pulled her head back, stood up and nodded at Serena.

"Move your ass, Archibald. I'm not telling you again." Blair said harshly.

Serena walked over to the DJ's booth and requested a song. Nate grudgingly got up and followed Blair to the dance floor, where Serena was already clearing a large spot for them.

"What just happened here?" Dan asked.

Chuck shrugged, anger racing through his veins. His heart was beating a mile a minute and he thought he might scream. It was a kiss. Nothing more. Nothing romantic about it. But still, she should be kissing _him_, not Nate.

And then he felt Joanna loop her arm through his and he felt a mixture of guilt and disgust. He felt guilty for cheating on his fiancée but he was disgusted by her at the same time. He wanted so desperately for it to be Blair stroking his arm right now. But he knew it could never be and reminded himself that he shouldn't think that way about the supposed love of his life.

"I have no fucking clue." He muttered, glancing at Joanna and looking away just as quickly.

_Ah, push it  
Ah, push it_

_Oooh, baby, baby  
Baby, baby  
Oooh, baby, baby  
Baby, baby_

"God, this is going to be good." Dan said as he heard the introduction of one of the more well-known older rap songs.

Again Chuck said nothing. He just looked at the dance floor.

Blair and Serena were moon walking in front of Nate who, despite his previous protests looked like he was enjoying himself. His arms jerked in stiff movements as he did his own version of the robot.

_Get up on this!_

_Ow! Baby!  
Salt and Pepa's here!_

Serena and Blair lined up behind Nate, who was now leading a mini-train. All three were wiggling their hips in a way that made the girls look sexy and Nate look ridiculous.

_Now wait a minute, y'all  
This dance ain't for everybody  
Only the sexy people  
So all you fly mothers, get on out there and dance  
Dance, I said!_

Nate abruptly stopped, each girl took one of his arms and they formed a chain. They all took several steps forward, arms still linked before they quickly jumped apart.

_Salt and Pepa's here, and we're in effect  
Want you to push it, babe  
Coolin' by day then at night working up a sweat  
C'mon girls, let's go show the guys that we know  
How to become number one in a hot party show  
Now push it_

Blair and Serena shimmied forward, leaving Nate in the foreground to attempt to Crip walk, to no avail.

With her hips swaying in her tight dress, Blair had Chuck mesmerized. He couldn't look away if he tried. She was gorgeous and he would be lying if he said he didn't want to be Nate right now. But what else was new?

_Ah, push it - push it good  
Ah, push it - push it real good  
Ah, push it - push it good  
Ah, push it - p-push it real good_

Blair and Serena each took turns pretending to slap Nate across the face. At each would-be hit, he turned his check to the other side, where the other girl would then pretend to slap him. It was quite amusing to watch.

_Hey! Ow!  
Push it good!_

_Oooh, baby, baby  
Baby, baby  
Oooh, baby, baby  
Baby, baby_

Nate took Blair in his arms first; twirling her around before lifting her off the ground dramatically while Serena did her own little dance. Then Nate lifted Serena up, repeating the same steps he had just done with Blair.

Joanna watched in disdain at the events taking place on the dance floor and turned to make a snide comment to Chuck when she noticed how entranced he was. She was not too pleased.

Chuck was hers, she had claimed him for herself and there was no way she was giving him up to Blair Waldorf, no matter what Blair or even Chuck himself thought.

_Yo, yo, yo, yo, baby-pop  
Yeah, you come here, gimme a kiss  
Better make it fast or else I'm gonna get pissed  
Can't you hear the music's pumpin' hard like I wish you would?  
Now push it_

Blair and Serena each kissed one of Nate's cheeks on beat with the lyrics. They then each grabbed an arm, essentially playing tug-of-war with Nate and then suddenly releasing his arms just as quickly.

They once again stepped in front of Nate and pushed their own hand together, spinning in circle's until the music faded into another song.

All three collapsed in laughter on the dance floor, trying to catch their breaths. Finally, Nate stood up and gave each girl a hand. They walked over to the table and resumed their seats.

"So?" Serena said looking to Dan, her face filled with glee.

"So, apparently Mr. Archibald has some moves." Dan said with a smirk.

Nate blushed but smiled at Blair and Serena all the same. Serena rolled her eyes as she slapped Dan's arm and Blair ordered a round of shots for everyone.

Joanna and Chuck seemed to be the only ones not enjoying themselves. Joanna gave Chuck a death glare before turning her attention back to the rest of the group.

"So, _S_, what time should I pick you up tomorrow?" She asked, glaring at Blair all the while.

* * *

Some quotes in the story above were borrowed from other works, so I've cited them here for anyone who's interested.

"Thank God you're pretty." – Friends (TV Show)

"Haul ass." – Clueless (Movie)

**Song:** "Push It" by Salt-N-Pepa


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: **I own nothing except the story line and the characters not seen in the show!

Thanks for all of the reviews, they really meant a lot to me!!

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Blair woke up the next morning with her head pressed on a cold surface. She tried to life her head off the surface but it slammed into something hard. She groaned in pain, eyes still closed.

"Is Aunt Blair alive?" Ryan asked, standing at the open bathroom door.

"Yes, she's alive." A cool male voice answered and bent over her body to hoist her up.

Blair just lay motionless, allowing whoever it was to carry her into a bedroom and drop her on a bed.

"Why is she wearing Daddy's clothes?" Ryan asked.

"What are you talking about?" She muttered, still refusing to open her eyes. "And why are you yelling?"

"It's time to get up, Blair." The voice commanded. Somehow, she couldn't figure out who it was.

"I feel like I was hit by a truck." She said in a scratchy voice.

"Well maybe next time we go out you shouldn't have ten shots." The voice said in annoyance.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." She murmured and rolled onto her side.

"Ryan, why don't you get a bucket of cold water?" The man's voice commanded.

"Okay, okay, I'm getting up. But just know that I hate you." Blair moaned and slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the light.

"Chuck?! What are you doing here? And why am I at Serena's place?" Blair asked, confusion written on her face.

"It's a long story." He said curtly and walked out the door.

Blair groaned loudly and stumbled out of bed, following Chuck into the kitchen.

"Just tell me what's going on." She demanded as she poured herself coffee.

"Serena and Joanna are wedding dress shopping, Nate and Dan are playing golf, and I was forced to come over here to baby-sit you and make sure that you didn't choke to death on your own vomit." He answered bitterly, barely glancing at her.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked.

"Nothing's wrong with me." He said shortly.

"Don't do that. I know you. I can tell when you're mad and I want to know what I did to get you in such a bad mood." She sighed.

"I don't know Blair; maybe it was that little show you put on last night." He said coldly.

"Oh my God, that's what this is about. What are you, twelve?" She asked in exasperation.

"Ryan, buddy, do me a favor go into your room and watch some TV." Chuck ordered in a fatherly tone and Ryan did as he was told.

Once Ryan's door was shut and Chuck heard that the TV was on, he started in on Blair.

"How am I supposed to feel Blair? Tell me, because I seriously have no fucking clue. One day you're sleeping with me and the next day you tell me that nothing can ever happen and your back with Nate. This is high school all over again." He yelled angrily, causing Blair to flinch.

"Okay, first of all, I'm not back with Nate. He asked me on a date, what was I supposed to say? 'Uh, can you come back later because I'm about to go do it with your engaged best friend.'" She said, grabbing his face and forcing him to look her in the eyes.

"And second of all, you are engaged Chuck. You have no right to be mad at me for going out with someone else. And for the record, just so we're clear about all of this, I don't have those types of feelings for Nate." She finished and sighed loudly, releasing Chuck's face from her grasp.

Chuck was silent. She was right. Everything she said was right. He was engaged. In fact, at that very moment, his fiancée was picking out her wedding dress. Blair had every right to go out with whomever she wanted, including his best friend.

He heard all of that, but the only thing he cared about was her last line. She didn't have those types of feelings for Nate. There was hope.

And then, he reprimanded himself. There wasn't hope; he was getting married to another woman. A woman who he had made a promise to. And Chuck Bass always kept his promises. Besides, Joanna had always been good to him. She had never broken his heart. In short, she was safe.

Blair was dangerous. He had no control over himself when he was with her. She could take his heart and smash it into a million tiny pieces without even trying. No, Blair was a friend. She could only ever be a friend. And he would have to just be happy with that.

"You're right. I guess I overreacted…sorry." He mumbled. Blair spit out her coffee.

"Did I just hear Chuck Bass admit that I was right and apologize in the same sentence?" Blair asked in amusement.

"Just don't get used to it." He muttered.

"Ah, victory is sweet!" She said, and thrust her fist in the air.

"Shut up!" He shouted at her, but his eyes were also filled with amusement.

"So why am I at Serena's, again?" Blair asked, and then looked down at her clothes. "And what the hell am I wearing?"

"You were pretty wasted." Chuck said simply.

He paused and thought hard for a second.

"It seems you're getting pretty wasted quite frequently these days. Any reason why that might be?" Chuck asked his interest peaked.

Blair shrugged as she wandered about the kitchen in search of some suitable food.

"I lived in France for over a year. We put champagne in our cereal for crying out loud." She said and nearly dropped the carton of orange juice she was holding when she caught sight of something on the Humphrey's calendar.

"What's wrong?" Chuck asked, noticing her sudden movement.

"I am going to kill Serena!" Blair shouted angrily.

Chuck smirked. He had grown to accept Serena as his stepsister, if not grudgingly, but it still amused him when she and Blair fought.

"What, pray tell, did my lovely Sis do now?" Chuck asked in a voice riddled with slime.

"I cannot believe her. How dare she? We do this every year. This is our most holy day. She knows what this means to me. That little bitch!" Blair ranted, blocking Chuck out.

"Tell me." Chuck said in a childish voice.

"Oh I'll tell you alright. Every third Sunday in April is the Private Sample Sale at Barney's. It happens once a year and you need to be invited to get in. We've gone together every year, since we were kids. How could she forget this?" Blair demanded, not that Chuck would have the answer.

He shrugged. Suddenly, he has the idea that his fiancée had chosen today of all days to go dress shopping on purpose. Serena must have let slip the sale and how much it meant to Blair. Joanna had a knack for seeking revenge on those she disliked and she definitely did not like Miss Waldorf.

"Okay, here's what's going to happen. I have three tickets. Serena and I usually take Ryan with us but you'll just have to take her place this year." Blair muttered, trying to calm down.

"Yeah, that'll work." She continued talking to herself.

She shuffled over to Ryan's room and opened the door. Once inside she roamed about his closet, until she found his black suit. You didn't go to the sale dressed in any old thing, after all.

Chuck stood motionless in the kitchen pondering his situation.

On the one hand, he would love to spend the entire day with Blair _and_ Ryan for that matter. But on the other hand, he knew that spending more time with Blair could only lead to trouble. However, he didn't see how he could get out of this. Once Blair made up her mind, there was no changing it.

He let out a deep breath.

"What's the dress code?" He finally asked.

"Semi-formal." She answered while helping Ryan into his suit.

"Okay. Why don't you go to your room and get ready and I'll meet you in the lobby with Ryan in, say a half an hour." He said.

"Sounds good." She said.

"And Waldorf." He began as she walked to the door.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"Don't take you sweet time like you did the other day?" He said condescendingly.

"Shut it, Bass." She said with a smirk and slammed the door behind her.

* * *

"So how did everybody like their shoes?" Brent, the head salesperson of the shoe department and Blair's long time friend asked Blair as he carried several shoe boxes into the private showing room.

"Well I know for a fact that the Benedict loved hers. Chuck, did Joanna like her shoes?" Blair asked an incredibly bored looking Chuck.

"How would I know?" Chuck asked in a tone that demonstrated just how little he cared.

"Did she say anything?" Blair pushed, and then turned her head to the left. "Ryan, sweetie, please stop running or you'll scuff up those shoes."

"Sorry Aunt Blair." Ryan said and pulled off his brand new brown Ferragamo loafers and tossed them to Chuck.

"_The Benedict_?" Brent asked in curiosity.

"Uh huh. Benedict Serena." Blair clarified.

She sat down on the chair across from the one Chuck was sitting in. Brent pulled off the shoes Blair was wearing and slid on the new pair of grey Marc Jacobs Oxford Pumps.

After lacing the shoes up for her, Brent stepped away and allowed Blair to look into the 360 degree mirror.

"What did she do?" Brent asked softly.

"It's what she didn't do. Have you noticed that she's not here?" Blair demanded.

"Yeah, I thought you brought your new boyfriend instead. So I could meet him and give him the seal of approval." Brent said, giving Chuck a once over.

"Boyfriend?" Blair asked. "Oh, no. Chuck's just a friend."

"Really." Brent said, eyeing Chuck hungrily.

"He's straight." Blair said when she noticed the attention Brent was giving Chuck.

"The good ones always are." Brent said sadly. "So you guys aren't a couple?"

"No, Joanna, the other girl I bought the Michal Kors shoes for, is his fiancée." Blair explained.

"These are so comfortable." Blair added as she pranced around the room.

"They make your legs look about seven feet long, too." Brent said.

"Chuck?" Blair asked.

Chuck tried to glance casually at Blair's feet, without her seeing his face. He didn't want her to know that he was totally turned on right now, and the look in his eyes would give that all away. Seeing her strut around the room in heels, wearing a short slip dress was not something he could easily ignore.

"They're nice." Was all that he could get out, before returning his gaze back to his hands.

Brent gazed at Chuck for a minute and realized that every so often, when he thought no one was looking, he would steal glances at Blair. He smiled to himself.

"So why _isn't_ Serena here?" Brent finally turned back to Blair who was now asking Ryan's opinion on her shoes.

"She's wedding dress shopping. Can you believe her? This is a once a year thing and she blows me off. Ugh!" Blair complained.

"With his fiancée?" Brent asked.

"Yes, yes." Blair said distractedly as she looked at the three other boxes of shoes.

"What is he doing here, then?" Brent pressed.

"I had an extra ticket and he was available." Blair explained in as smooth a tone as she could muster.

She didn't want to share the fact that she actually wanted to spend time with Chuck just because she enjoyed his company. No, nobody needed to know that little detail.

"What makes you think I was free? You didn't even ask me if I was busy." Chuck said.

"Please. Your only friends were golfing and your fiancée was shopping. You had absolutely nothing to do." Blair said as Brent helped her into the next pair of shoes, pink Chanel sling-backs.

Chuck said something under his breath but dropped the issue. Blair was right. And even if he did have plans, he probably would have broken them just to spend the day with her.

"You know, you never finished telling me your mother's reaction to you breaking up with what's his name?" Brent said.

"Wait, you thought that I was her new boyfriend even though you knew that she just broke up with her fiancée?" Chuck asked skeptically.

"I've seen her move faster than this." Brent said with a smirk.

"Brent!" Blair scolded.

"Kidding." Brent said. "Now tell me what Eleanor did."

"Ugh, that woman." Blair sighed. "Naturally she made it all about her. 'How could I do this to her again? What was she supposed to do with the wedding dress that she custom made for me? Is she ever going to have grandchildren?'"

Blair shook her head in frustration. "It's like, she can't for one second ask how I'm doing? How I'm dealing with everything? I swear, she should never have been allowed to reproduce."

"How _are_ you doing?" Brent asked kindly.

"I'm alright. It gets easier each time." Blair said with a chuckle.

"I would imagine." Chuck said sarcastically and Blair threw a shoe at him. It hit him on the side of his head.

"That was unnecessary." Chuck said rubbing the spot the pointy heel hit.

"You've had that coming for years." Blair said coyly.

"Okay, Brent, I can see Ryan's getting a little restless so I will take all of these as well as the Ferragamos for him." Blair said, handing Brent her black American Express.

"Where to now, Boss?" Chuck asked, as he lifted Ryan off the ground.

"How does lunch at Fred's sound?" Blair answered.

"Good!" Ryan shouted. "I'm starving."

"Let's go." Blair said as Chuck grabbed the three large shopping bags out of Brent's hands.

Blair led the way to the infamous restaurant, housed inside the store.

* * *

Some quotes in the story above were borrowed from other works, so I've cited them here for anyone who's interested.

"What are you, twelve?" – Closer (Movie)

"That was unnecessary." – Thank You for Smoking (Movie)


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: **I own nothing except the story line and the characters not seen in the show!

Thanks for all of the reviews; they really meant a lot to me!!

* * *

**Chapter 10**

"So, what's new?" Nate asked Dan as he teed off the seventh hole.

The two men were engaging in one of their favorite pastimes; golf.

"Umm, we spend almost every day together. There's nothing new." Dan said angrily.

He was not too pleased with Nate at the moment. Dan was doing poorly today and could hardly concentrate on his stroke with Nate blabbering on about this and that.

"I have to tell you something. Promise you won't judge me." Nate said suddenly.

"Nate, I'm flattered, but I'm just not into guys." Dan responded and finally made it to the green.

"That's not what I was going to say." Nate said, getting flustered.

"I was kidding man." Dan said. "What's on your mind?"

"Blair." Nate said simply.

Dan sighed. He didn't know what to do. As far as he understood it, based on the events of last night, Dan was pretty sure that Blair didn't have any romantic feelings for Nate. But what did he know? They had been together for twelve years, after all.

"Is that all you had to tell me?" Dan asked when Nate didn't say anything else.

"No. I wanted your advice. What should I do? I mean last night I told her that I only loved her as a friend but I don't know, every time I see her I feel like I'm falling in love with her again." Nate confessed.

_Mother of God._ Dan thought.

"I don't know what to tell you man. You know her better than I do. Do you think she feels the same way?" Dan asked carefully.

"I have no clue. Blair is so hard to read. I think that she has fun when we hang out and last night she was dancing with me kind of…sexually." Nate said with a small smile at the memory.

"Nate, I honestly don't know what the right answer is. If you think it's a good idea, ask her out again. But if you think that it'll ruin the friendship, I wouldn't risk it." Dan said, hoping he didn't sway Nate's decision one way or the other. He definitely didn't want to be responsible for whatever Nate did.

"I think I'm going to go for it." Nate said, putting the ball directly into the hole.

"Good." Dan said, unsure if this was a good idea at all.

* * *

Blair and Chuck were sitting on the Humphrey's couch watching Ryan practice for his upcoming school play. Chuck sighed in frustration and continued to complain that his nephew should _not_ be a fairy. Blair shushed him and continued to praise Ryan, much to Chuck's chagrin.

When the two heard the familiar sound of metal on metal, the key being put into the lock, they glanced at each other. They knew that their time of freedom was up, and for that, they both were sorry. Soon Chuck would be married and he and Blair wouldn't be able to spend the day together.

"Hello?" Serena's voice rang throughout the penthouse.

Blair said nothing. Chuck got up to greet his step sister and gave Joanna a chaste kiss on her cheek.

Chuck felt bad for Serena and what was headed her way: three days of the Waldorf Cold Shoulder. He wouldn't wish that on anyone. Not only would Blair not talk to her but she would also ignore Serena completely, purposely talk to everyone in Serena's vicinity, and withhold any juicy gossip. And boy did Blair have something juicy to tell Serena.

"Hey Blair!" Serena chirped brightly, unaware that she would not be well-received.

"Joanna, lovely to see you." Blair said curtly, turning her face away from Serena.

"Earth to Blair!" Serena exclaimed.

"Chuck, don't you have something to tell Serena?" Blair said pointedly. Chuck rolled his eyes.

"Blair wants me to inform you that you two are no longer on speaking terms and you are a traitorous b-i-t-c-h." Chuck spelled out the last word so Ryan wouldn't understand what he said.

"What? Why?" Serena asked, totally perplexed.

Blair just gave Chuck the same pointed look. He sighed and rolled his eyes yet again. Blair could be so immature sometimes.

"Today was the Private Sample Sale at Barney's apparently." Chuck explained.

Serena's face showed that she truly had forgotten that the sale was today. Blair didn't care though. She was pissed that Serena could 1-forget about the sale and 2-spend the entire day with Joanna without even calling _her_.

"B, I am so sorry. I totally forgot." Serena said.

"Well I'm so glad that our friendship and traditions rank so high in importance for you." Blair bit out sarcastically.

"How can I make this up to you?" Serena's voice was pleading with Blair. She hated when she and Blair fought because Blair took no prisoners.

"You can't, Serena." Blair spat.

Serena walked over to Blair and put her hand on Blair's shoulder. Blair shrugged it off and walked to the door. Then she turned back and was wearing quite a different expression than the one she had only a moment ago.

"As a sidebar, guess who called me today, begging for me to take him back. Yet again I might add." Blair said with a wide smirk.

"No!" Serena shouted, completely scandalized.

"Oh yes! It's too bad we won't be talking for the next three days!" Blair said.

"Blair come _on_. Don't be so immature. I screwed up. It happens. Not everyone can be as perfect as you." Serena said, appealing to Blair's vanity.

"That _is_ true. I am perfect." Blair agreed.

"Yes, and I am so sorry." Serena continued, seeing that she was wearing Blair down.

"You'd have to be willing to really work for it." Blair said slyly.

"Whatever it takes." Serena said eager to get over this little fight.

"That purple Gucci dress of yours." Blair said.

Serena frowned at her. She loved that dress. It was custom made and worth ten grand. But Blair had only been back in town for a couple of days and Serena really wanted to keep everything copasetic.

"If I say yes, are we good. No cold shoulder, no holding this against me in the future?" Serena asked.

"Deal." Blair said with a malicious grin.

"You were going to forgive me anyway, weren't you?" Serena asked as she noticed Blair's smile.

"You know me well." Blair said and chuckled.

"So…tell me what he said." Serena said conversationally as she walked over to the couch and pulled Ryan on her lap.

Blair sat across from her on the leather chair and Chuck and Joanna sat on the love seat next to Blair's chair. Serena looked at Blair eagerly and Blair relished the attention and decided to drag it out a bit.

"Well…did I tell you that he called me the other day?" Blair began.

"No! When was this?" Serena asked.

"Last Wednesday, when Chuck and I went to the park with Ryan." Blair explained.

"He called me saying 'Oh Baby' this and 'I miss you' that. And I told him that he could kiss my skinny white ass. Sorry." Blair apologized when she realized that Ryan was listening intently to her every word.

Serena, who would have normally been upset about this, ignored it, too eager to hear the rest of the story to care.

"And then he was like 'Oh I made a mistake. Chantal, that's the name of the little hooker he was engaged to, Chantal was not the woman I was.' And then he was all 'You know we belong together. I made a mistake and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get you back.'" Blair retold the events of the other day with a satisfied smirk.

"Wait, you're telling me the woman that was engaged to one of the richest men in the world was a hooker?" Serena asked in utter confusion.

"What? No she was a flight attendant. Same difference in my book." Blair clarified.

"So then I go 'You had your chance. I never meant a thing to you; I was just your trophy, yada, yada, yada.' Then I hung up on him and threw my phone at a tree." Blair finished.

"How could you not have told me this?" Serena demanded.

"I guess I tried to put it out of my mind. But _then_ today at lunch he called me again. And the weird part is I had my number changed. But I guess with enough money, you can find anything out." Blair sighed.

"And? What did he say?" Serena was practically salivating.

"Pretty much the same things as before. He misses me, he loves me, he can't live without me, letting me go was the biggest mistake of his life. Things like that." Blair said and grinned.

"Well aren't we pleased with ourselves?" Serena asked condescendingly.

"We are." Blair replied.

"I hope you let him down gently." Serena added, doubting that was the case.

"Umm, the correct answer would be…no!" Blair shouted.

"That stupid, excuse my language, schmuck, doesn't deserve any sympathy. I gave him chance after chance and he didn't care enough then to change. Now that I'm gone he regrets it? Well that is too damn bad!" Blair added angrily.

"Okay, okay, relax. It was just a question." Serena cooed.

"I'm relaxed. I'm fine." Blair said taking deep, calming breathes.

Just then, the door opened and Nate and Dan walked in, looking extremely tired from their day of golfing. They set their golf bags down and walked to the living room.

"What'd we miss?" Dan asked, feigning interest.

"We were just telling Serena that she should leave you." Blair deadpanned.

Dan gave her a questioning look. Serena nodded to confirm Blair's statement.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Dan barked.

"No they weren't, Daddy." Ryan piped in.

"_Ry-an_." Blair groaned.

"That's not cool Blair." Dan said and picked his son up.

"Sorry." Blair said sarcastically.

"Right." Dan retorted with just as much sarcasm.

"So what are the plans for the evening?" Dan asked.

"Well we," Serena pointed to Dan, Ryan, and herself, "have dinner plans with my mom and Bart."

"That is sure to be fun." Dan's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"And _we_," Joanna indicated Chuck and herself, "have a date tonight. Remember baby?"

"Uh, yeah. Of course I do." Chuck said, clearly not remembering a thing.

"Good. So we better go and get ready." Joanna said practically dragging Chuck out of the penthouse.

"Bye." Chuck called over his shoulder.

"So I guess that just leaves you and me." Nate said to Blair.

"It looks that way." Blair agreed, staring after Chuck's retreating figure.

"Would you like to go to dinner?" Nate asked, trying to sound casual.

"Pick me up at eight?" Blair answered. Nate grinned.

* * *

"Wow Waldorf, you know how to eat." Nate teased as he and Blair walked along the sidewalk eating ice cream.

Blair slapped his arm playfully and nearly knocked him into the street in the process.

"Be nice." She said.

"Me? What about you? You nearly killed me." Nate accused.

"Deal with it." Blair said with a smirk.

"I forgot that you could be such a bitch sometimes." Nate said, knowing this would get a rise out of her.

"What did you say?" Blair demanded, walking closer to Nate and jabbing her index finger into his chest.

"You heard me." Nate said, gazing into her eyes.

"Take it back." Blair ordered.

"No." Nate whispered and leaned in to kiss her.

At first Blair was shocked, to say the least. Just last night Nate was saying that they were only friends, but friends sure as hell didn't kiss like that.

Blair finally gave in and kissed him back, falling back into the comfortable kisses of her youth. Time stopped and their kisses grew more passionate by the second. Both had forgotten what it was like to kiss the other. The familiarity was welcomed.

"Let's go somewhere." Nate murmured.

Blair froze. She didn't think she had those feelings for Nate, but she was so confused at the moment with everything with Chuck happening. Chuck. He was engaged. He was moving on. She couldn't stay caught up with him when there was no chance of a future. With that in mind, Blair nodded.

"My place is free." She said coyly.

Five minutes later Blair was fumbling with her door key, her hands shaking so much she was finding the task nearly impossible. Finally, though, she managed to get her door open.

Nate's mouth was on hers in seconds and she barely had time to slam her door shut. Blair flipped on the light switch and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Chuck Bass sitting on her couch, waiting for her.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: **I own nothing except the story line and the characters not seen in the show!

Thanks for all of the reviews; they really meant a lot to me!!

* * *

**Chapter 11**

"Chuck!" Blair whispered in utter shock.

He was the last person she would expect to see here, and the last one she would want to see what he just had.

"Hey, man." Nate said bashfully.

"What are you doing here, it's past midnight?" Nate asked in confusion, oblivious to the tension in the room.

"I just needed to talk to Blair but I can see that she is otherwise occupied." Chuck said bitterly.

"Chuck, this isn't what it looks like." Blair said nervously.

Chuck looked visibly hurt and Blair felt guilty, like she had done something wrong, even though technically she hadn't.

Chuck ignored her and walked over to the door, slamming it shut as he left.

"I think you should go." Blair said flatly to Nate.

"Blair? What's going on, I thought we were having a good time?" Nate asked.

"You should go." Blair commanded.

Nate looked at Blair, realization finally dawning. He finally understood what was happening. Everything made sense, all the pieces fit together.

Why else would Chuck Bass, an engaged man, be waiting for Blair in her hotel room so late? Why would Chuck seem so upset? Why would Blair be asking _him_ to leave? They were having an affair.

He threw the door open, and like Chuck, slammed it shut.

Blair let a sob escape her lips and collapsed on her bed as tears flooded her face.

She had just lost the man that she thought she might love and his best friend in the course of two minutes. Her life was ruined.

It was highly unlikely that either one would ever forgive her. They were both so overcome with jealousy that she doubted they would even listen to her try to explain. And she honestly couldn't blame them. Besides, what could she say to defend herself? She had fucked everything up, yet again.

* * *

Blair woke up the next morning with the events of last night weighing on her mind. She wanted to redo yesterday. She would spend the day with Chuck and Ryan and then go back to the Humphrey's. When Serena came home she wouldn't hold a grudge, she would be understanding like she should have been. She wouldn't have made fun of Dan because he honestly didn't deserve it. And when Nate asked her to dinner she would have politely turned him down and explained that they would only ever be friends. That night, when Chuck came to her room she would have let him in and made love to him and told him how she felt.

But now she had ruined it. She had ruined everything and there was no going back. The guilt was overwhelming and she couldn't bear to keep it inside. She had to tell someone what had happened. She had to hear someone tell her that it would all be okay even though she knew that it wouldn't be. Either way, someone was going to be hurt, all because of her.

The only person she would dare admit her affair to was Serena. She called her, praying that she would be free for the day.

Blair dialed the familiar phone number, her hands shaking in the process.

"Hello?" Her friend's bubbly voice answered.

"Hey S, it's me." Blair said softly.

"What's the matter?" Serena asked quickly.

"Nothing, it's just…can we meet for coffee?" Blair said not wanting to get into specifics over the phone.

"Of course. Want to meet me in the Palace restaurant?" Serena asked.

"No!" Blair shouted a little too loudly. "I mean let's go somewhere more private."

"Okay. What about that coffee shop by your mom's place?" Serena suggested.

"Okay. Half an hour?" Blair responded.

"Sounds good." Serena said.

"Yeah." Blair said sarcastically, but Serena had already hung up.

* * *

A half an hour later Blair sat at a table waiting for Serena who, naturally, was running late. Blair was ready to pull her hair out in anticipation just as Serena breezed through the door.

"Sorry I'm late." Serena said and walked over to the counter to order a cappuccino.

Blair, who had already had two cups of coffee and three espressos, was visibly trembling.

When Serena sat down, she instantly realized that something was wrong. Blair typically preferred to hide her emotions; she felt they made her weak and vulnerable. But as she sat here, Serena could tell that Blair was barely containing her feelings.

"B, what's wrong, honey? What happened?" Serena asked in the motherly voice she used with Ryan when he got hurt.

"You're going to hate me when I tell you." Blair whispered as her eyes clouded with tears.

"No I won't, Blair. I love you. No matter what you do I can never hate you. I promise." Serena said placing her hand over Blair's and giving it a slight squeeze.

"Yes you will. I'm horrible. I'm disgusting." Blair said and shook her head.

"Blair, look at me. Whatever you did is okay. I will never leave you. I will never look at you any different. I swear on my son's life." Serena promised.

"Don't. Just don't. You don't know what I did and I don't want you to make a promise that you can't keep." Blair said as a single tear escaped her eye.

"Tell me. Let me decide for myself." Serena said.

"I'm such a horrible person, S. I'm a filthy hypocrite. I'm a liar and a cheater." Blair said in disgust.

"Blair, listen to me, that isn't true." Serena tried to reassure Blair but it only fueled Blair's tears.

"I slept with Chuck." Blair said quietly.

Serena didn't say anything.

"Last Friday." Blair continued when she realized Serena was waiting for her to go on. "After game night."

Serena nodded, indicating that Blair should keep going.

"I was at the bar when he came in and we were talking and one thing led to another and I kissed him. I started this whole mess." Blair cried and put her face in her hands.

"It's going to be okay, sweetie." Serena said as she pulled Blair to her. Blair shook her head.

"No it won't. Nothing will be okay. Now he and Nate both hate me. Ugh, I'm terrible." Blair said.

"They could never hate you, Blair." Serena said soothingly.

"They do. They both hate me. Last night after Nate and I went to dinner we ended up going back to my hotel room and Chuck was there waiting for me. He saw Nate and me kissing and he left. And then, and then Nate realized that Chuck and I had been having an affair. They both hate me." Blair sobbed.

"Oh, Blair, they don't hate you. They're just hurt because they both care about you. It's going to be okay. Everything will work out." Serena said.

"N-no it won't. Ch-chuck's going to get ma-married and Nate is going to mo-move on and I'm going to be a-alone." Blair whimpered.

"Wait, what do you mean Chuck's going to get married? Why are you upset that- oh my God. Blair, this thing with Chuck was just one time, right? It was just about sex, wasn't it?" Serena asked.

Blair didn't say anything. She looked at her hands as tears fell from her brown doe eyes.

"Blair, do you have…feelings for him?" Serena whispered.

"I don't know." Blair cried. "But it doesn't matter now anyway. He hates me and he's getting married."

Serena wrapped her arms around Blair and just held her, waiting for Blair to calm down. Eventually, Blair started to breathe normally and Serena released her.

"Don't worry B. You just have to trust that what's meant to happen will happen." Serena said. Blair sighed.

"We're having everyone over tonight since Ryan's going to be with my mom and Bart. Why don't you come over and try to talk to them. You never know how they'll feel today." Serena said.

"Okay." Blair said after a moment's thought. No matter what, she was going to talk to them and try to explain. They were going to understand that she loved them both but she was _in love_ with one of them, she was sure of it.

"Good. I'll see you at seven. I've got to run but call me if you need anything." Serena said and with one last hug to Blair, walked out the door.

* * *

Blair decided that tonight she was going to be early. This way she might have the chance to catch one or both men and talk to them before everyone else arrived.

It was a good idea in theory but as she walked into the Humphrey's penthouse she realized that in reality it didn't work.

Chuck and Joanna were already there, sitting in the living room, talking to Dan. Serena was in the dining room on the phone. She seemed to be getting more frustrated by the second.

Blair placed her coat and purse in the closet and went to join Chuck, Joanna, and Dan in the living room. She felt bitter vile threaten to escape her mouth as she saw Chuck's arm around Joanna's shoulders.

Joanna was leaning into Chuck's side and had her hand resting on his knee. Chuck placed a sweet kiss on the top of Joanna's head that made Blair's blood run cold.

However, now was not the time to let her jealousy show. She had to act like everything was all good until she could pull Chuck aside and talk to him about everything.

Blair strolled into the living room and cleared her throat, alerting everyone to her presence.

"Hi." She said in faux joy. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

"Would that stop you if you were?" Dan asked with a smirk.

"Daniel, your wit is unmatched." Blair said.

"Why thank you Blair. That means so much coming from you." Dan said.

Blair walked over and kissed his cheek. Even though they tended to fight a lot and teased each other it was all in good fun. In reality, they respected each other.

"You okay?" He asked. "I was expecting some sort of snarky response to that."

"I figured I would let you win this round. Lull you into a false sense of security before I brought you back to reality." Blair said with a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes.

"Do you always have an answer for everything?" Dan asked.

"Most of the time." Blair said, looking at Chuck, trying to catch his eye.

Chuck, however, was quite busy whispering something into Joanna's ear before he lightly kissed her lips.

Blair tried to control the pain she felt at that very moment. She wanted to go over there and rip Chuck from Joanna's grasp but she couldn't. He wouldn't want her to.

So she put on her best fake smile and sat next to Dan, trying to divert her eyes from Chuck and Joanna as best she could.

Serena walked in soon after, quite irritated

"That was Nate. He's not coming." Serena said in frustration.

"Why not?" Dan asked unaware of the events of last night.

"He wouldn't say. He just said he had other plans that he had forgotten about and to give everyone his best." Serena explained.

"Well, what can you do?" Dan asked and shrugged his shoulders.

"Should we just eat now?" Dan asked in an attempt to distract his wife.

"Yeah. Let me just have one of the maids set out the food." Serena said and walked back into the kitchen.

"This is so weird." Dan said after Serena left.

"I've been calling Nate all day but he won't pick up. How did everything go last night?" Dan asked Blair.

"Uh, I think it went well. Maybe Nate's just sick or something." Blair said nervously.

The last thing she wanted was to have to talk about her date with Nate. That would only piss Chuck off more. She needed time to talk to him privately. Thankfully, at that precise moment Serena called everyone into the dining room.

Everyone sat down around the long table. Dan and Serena were at the heads, Chuck and Joanna sat on one side, and Blair sat by her self on the other side.

Blair didn't have much of an appetite. Her nerves were frazzled and Chuck's fingers intertwined with Joanna's were doing nothing to soothe her.

Never in her life had Blair felt like this. Sure she had always resented Nate for constantly choosing Serena over her but it was expected. He was Nate.

But with Chuck it was different. Blair knew that whatever Chuck said or did, she was special to him. But it looked as though Chuck had forgotten all about her. He was looking at Joanna the same way he once looked at her. Eyes filled with love and desire.

Conversation was scarce and awkward. Blair was silent and Chuck and Joanna were hardly paying attention to anyone else.

Serena gave Blair a look of pity that Blair despised. She hated pity more than anything else and to be worthy of pity was disgusting to her.

Blair attempted to smile to assure Serena that she was okay and Serena accepted it. Pleased that Blair was feeling better, Serena felt free to converse with the whole table.

"I don't know if I've told any of you but this Friday is Ryan's school play and it would mean so much to all of us if you would come." Serena said brightly. Dan tried not to react.

"What part will Ryan be playing?" Chuck asked, looking away from Joanna for the first time all evening.

"He's going to be a fairy." Serena said as Dan gave her a harsh glare.

"Like father, like son. Right Dan?" Chuck asked with a smirk.

"My son is comfortable enough with his sexuality to play a more _feminine_ role. And I'm fine with that." Dan stated, though he was hardly believable.

"So will you guys come? And of course Nate is invited and he already agreed to go." Serena asked.

"We would love to." Chuck said and kissed Joanna's hand that was laced with his.

"Blair?" Serena asked.

"Absolutely." Blair said trying not to vomit at the spectacle across the table.

"Great." Serena said, pleased that everything seemed to have worked out.

Towards the end of the meal, Chuck excused himself to go to the bathroom. Blair saw this as her opportunity. She had been trying to subtly catch his attention all evening but he either wasn't paying attention or was purposely ignoring her. She hoped it was the former.

She quickly made some excuse up about checking her voicemail and waited outside the bathroom for Chuck to come out.

* * *

Several minutes later, Chuck walked out of the bathroom. Before he had time to think, Blair pulled him into Ryan's bedroom and shut the door behind them.

"Can we talk?" Blair asked, trying to sound both composed and apologetic.

"I don't really see what we have to talk about." Chuck said with no emotion.

"Chuck, don't play that game. I know what you saw hurt you, but you have to understand that it meant nothing." Blair tried to explain.

"It didn't hurt me and it doesn't matter. What or rather who you do in your spare time is really none of my concern. You don't owe me anything." Chuck said coldly.

"I don't want to leave it like this. I don't want it to be like last time. I want to give us a chance." Blair said as she became teary eyed.

"Well it doesn't seem to be in the cards anymore, does it?" Chuck asked with bitterness that rivaled the day at the bar all those years ago.

"Chuck, please don't do this. You don't mean that." Blair whispered, almost pleading with him to take back his words.

"You were right before; Joanna doesn't deserve to be treated this way. What you and I did was a mistake, a big, drunken mistake. I should have never let it happen." Chuck said without even looking Blair in the eyes. He opened the door and walked back to the table, leaving Blair speechless.

Blair quickly dried her face and calmed herself enough to walk into the dining room.

"I'm sorry to eat and run but I'm not feeling too well." Blair said as she walked to the table.

"Thanks for having me." She continued as she found her coat and purse.

"B, are you okay?" Serena asked in concern.

"I'm fine. Have a good evening." She managed to say as she slipped out the door before anyone had a chance to say goodbye.

As soon as the door was shut she leaned against it, finally allowing the pent up tears to escape.

She regretted ever coming back. She should have stayed with Pierre in France and pretended to be happy. It was better than feeling genuinely happy and then having it ripped away.

About an hour later, when she heard someone in penthouse opening the door she ran over to the elevator and returned to her room.

Once inside, Blair walked to her bed and got under the covers, not bothering to even take her shoes off. She cried herself to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: **I own nothing except the story line and the characters not seen in the show!

Thanks for all of the reviews; they really meant a lot to me!!

* * *

**Chapter 12**

The whole week was a blur to Blair. The only thing she knew for sure was that she had ordered room service and a whole lot of it. At least that was the way it looked based on the various trays scattered about her room. And alcohol. There was a lot of that too. Vodka, whiskey, vermouth, scotch, Blair didn't discriminate. They all did the same thing in the end, they allowed her to escape.

Serena, being the concerned best friend that she was called Blair constantly trying to coerce her to get some coffee or at the very least come to her penthouse. Blair refused claiming she was sick. Serena knew better than to argue with Blair when she was this depressed. There were times when Blair just shouldn't be pushed.

It was Friday morning when someone was pounding incessantly at Blair's door. She had half a mind to open the door and slap whoever it was that was disturbing her but it seemed like it would take too much effort.

45 minutes later Blair decided that slapping the intruder would be easier than listening to the knocking. Grudgingly, Blair opened the door, expecting to find Serena or Dan. No one else would care about her enough to wait that long for her.

Shocked did not even begin to describe how Blair was feeling when she saw that no one other than her ex-fiancée was waiting for her with a smile across his beautiful face.

"I don't even…what are you…how did you…" Blair tried to say something; anything but she couldn't quite get her point across.

"I'll explain everything. Do you mind if I come in?" Pierre LeFreu, ex-fiancée number three asked.

"Okay." Blair mumbled, unsure of how to react.

Mr. Pierre LeFreu was attractive by anyone's standards. He was tall, about 6'2, muscular but subtly so, well-tanned, with wavy, dark brown hair that was slicked back, and piercing blue eyes. A modern day Adonis worth billions. The perfect catch.

Blair was in a daze as Pierre led her to the couch. He sat across from her, gazing deeply into her eyes until she met his stare. He smiled at her with his perfect, sparkling teeth and she couldn't help but to smile back.

"How are you?" He asked softly.

"I've been better." Blair sighed. "How about you?"

"I've been better as well." Pierre said with a meaningful look. "I've missed you."

Blair chuckled. "I've gotten that impression from the numerous calls." She said harshly.

"Why are you here?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"Well you stopped taking my numerous calls. I needed to talk to you, to explain." Pierre said sincerely.

Blair had every intention of laughing in his face, demanding that he go and never call her again, and completely cutting him out of her life for good. But his words had hit a nerve. He needed to explain. Just like she had needed to explain to Chuck and Nate.

She knew what it felt like to desperately need to talk to someone who you cared about and have them throw it in your face. As much as she wanted to lash out at Pierre for everything he had done to her, she couldn't put him through that pain again. She wouldn't be a hypocrite.

Not to mention that for the first time since she knew him, Pierre sounded utterly sincere and looked like he really was broken up about their break up. There was no harm in hearing him out and she had loved him on some level. She owed it to him to let him get this off his chest.

* * *

Mr. and Mrs. Humphrey lounged in their apartment while they waited for their lunch to be sent up by room service. Ryan was with Lily at his dress rehearsal for his preschool play. Apparently, Park Avenue Presbyterian took their extra curricular activities seriously, even though the play was for five year olds.

Serena was trying to focus on what her husband was saying but she was zoning out as thoughts about Blair raced through her mind.

It was obvious that Blair's conversation with Chuck had not gone well. Blair had left dinner Monday night practically in tears, while Chuck looked miserable for the duration of the evening. Then Blair had barricaded herself in her hotel suite and refused to open the door whenever she came to visit.

Dan had reported that Chuck and Nate also seemed upset, though he couldn't figure out why. Serena had withheld the information Blair had told her from Dan; there were some things that Dan didn't need to know.

And Serena had no clue about what had happened with Nate, or if Blair had even managed to speak to Nate. Serena highly doubted that she had. Blair didn't seem like she was capable of getting out of bed, much less having an emotional, heartfelt conversation with her former love.

"Earth to Serena!" Dan shouted. He had been trying to get his wife's attention for the past three minutes and was failing miserably.

"Sorry. What?" Serena asked, turning around to face Dan.

"I said that lunch is here." Dan said with an eye roll.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie, I just have a lot on my mind." Serena apologized and followed Dan to the dining room.

"Let me guess, Blair?" Dan asked sarcastically.

"Yeah. She's in bad shape." Serena sighed.

"Why? What happened? She was fine when we had dinner Monday." Dan said, completely confused and slightly worried as to how Blair had suddenly spun into a deep depression.

"It's complicated." Serena said vaguely. She didn't want to have to lie to Dan but she couldn't very well tell him the truth.

"Care to elaborate?" Dan asked his curiosity piqued.

"I can't. Blair swore me to secrecy." Serena replied, realizing how lame it sounded.

"Okay, I see how it is." Dan teased.

"Good, I'm glad you do." Serena retorted.

"Just one question, _Darling,_" Dan began, "how dumb do you think I am?"

"What?" Serena asked, perplexed.

"Blair's depressed, Nate refuses to answer anyone's call, it's obvious something was going on between them and they broke up." Dan said.

Serena let out a sigh of relief. Sometimes men could be so oblivious.

"Uh huh." Serena said, trying not to confirm or deny Dan's statement.

"See, I am the smartest man alive." Dan said and kissed Serena before he dug into his lunch.

"Sure you are." Serena said with a mischievous smirk.

"I don't think I like your tone." Dan responded.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Serena baited him.

"You'll see." Dan shot back with a wink.

* * *

"I love you." He said point blank. "I'm sorry to say it like that but I don't know how else to put it. I don't want to be coy about it. I love you and I'm a wreck without you."

"I…wh-what?" Blair asked as her mind reeled from Pierre's proclamation.

"I know that this isn't how I should be doing this but I just needed to get that out before I second guessed myself." Pierre said, expecting this sort of response from her. He had never been forthcoming with his affirmations of love and now he was putting it all out there.

"You look very thin, by the way. Have you been eating enough?" Pierre asked with a small smile.

"Are you trying to soften me up?" Blair asked with a small smile of her own.

"A little. Is it working?" Pierre questioned.

"A little." Blair said. Pierre's smile grew.

"Well, you always did know what the ladies like to hear." Blair said seriously.

"No, I know what you like to hear." Pierre said, just as seriously.

Blair blushed. Never had Pierre been so sweet and vulnerable with her. It reminded her of someone else who was only sweet and vulnerable with her. A certain dark-haired boy that now despised her. Blair shook her head to stop her continuous thoughts of Chuck.

"Someone is quite the charmer." Blair said, bringing herself back into the present time and the man before her.

"What can I say, I'm in love?" Pierre said with a grin and the most honest eyes Blair had ever seen.

"With who?" Blair asked. Not cruelly, just curiously.

"I guess I deserve that." Pierre agreed.

"Look, Blair. I know that I've made mistakes. A lot of mistakes. And I know that I don't deserve you, but I want you just the same. I need you just the same. I love you. I've always loved you; I just wasn't ready to admit it." Pierre said and grabbed Blair's hand from across the small coffee table between them.

"What about Chantal?" Blair said in disgust.

"We're over. We have been since the first time I called you. Once you were gone, I realized just how much you meant to me. Maybe it was a good thing. Maybe now I can finally see you and love you like I should have all along." Pierre said, his eyes peering deeply into Blair's. They read only the truth.

Blair shuddered. She couldn't help but wish that another man was here saying these things to her. That another man was begging her to be with him. But that other man wasn't and Pierre was.

And Pierre wanted her with such passion that she began to wonder if she could ever love him like he loved her. Maybe she could. She would always love Chuck more but maybe loving Pierre would be good enough, if she pretended hard enough.

"What are you saying?" Blair asked.

Pierre stood up, walked over to Blair and got on one knee. He pulled out a small black box and opened it. Blair saw that it wasn't her former engagement ring, but a larger yellow diamond. She couldn't help but to gasp at its beauty. The platinum band was adorned with small, white diamonds that got progressively larger as they neared the yellow, Princess cut diamond.

"Blair Cornelia Waldorf, love of my life, keeper of my heart; will you do me the honor of being my wife?" Pierre asked as he stared directly into Blair's wide eyes.

Blair gaped at Pierre, her gaze traveling from his face to the ring in his hand in awe. She should have seen this coming but she was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she was shocked by his sudden request.

Pierre recognized the surprise on Blair's face and chuckled heartily.

"Relax. You don't have to answer me now. I understand that this is sudden and I don't want you to feel pressured. If you say 'no,' I will leave you alone forever. But if you say 'yes,' you will make me the happiest man alive. I have everything I could ever want or dream of, but it all means nothing if I can't have you. I will leave you now so that you may think. I believe you still have my phone number." Pierre said, standing up and putting the ring in his pocket.

All Blair could do was nod her head yes.

"Good. I hope to hear from you soon." Pierre said, kissing her cheek and walking out the door.

* * *

As Blair's shaking hand pulled back her hair into an elegant bun, she decided to keep Pierre's proposal to herself. At least until she gave him an answer.

As much as she wanted to say 'yes' and run away with him back to France, a part of her knew that her heart wasn't really in it. But that same part knew that some things wouldn't work out.

And there it was the eternal question. Should she do what was easy and safe or should she follow her heart? She had been here before, had taken the safe road, and had always regretted it. But now, it seemed as though the decision had been made for her. Chuck didn't want her. How could she follow her heart if the thing her heart most desired didn't want anything to do with her?

Blair sighed as she pulled on her black patent Manolo pumps that matched her conservative little black dress and walked out of her room for the first time in four days.

Blair took a cab to the preschool she once called her own and met up with an anxious but still gorgeous Serena.

"B, thank God you're here!" Serena practically shouted running to Blair.

Serena pulled Blair into a hug and held on tight, afraid that if she let go, Blair would be gone. Finally, she released Blair from her death grip and led her to their seats, in the front row.

Everyone was already seated and Blair groaned inwardly as she realized that the only open seat was between Chuck and Nate. She wondered what terrible things she must have done in a past life to have pissed the universe off this much.

Blair quickly greeted Dan, Lily, and Bart as she scurried past them to her seat. The air around her was heavy and she felt like she was being crushed.

She looked towards Nate who was determined to look anywhere but at her face and then to Chuck, who was holding Joanna's hand and whispering something in her ear.

Yeah, she must have been some sort of mass murderer in her past life. That was the only possible reason that her life had spiraled so out of control.

Thankfully, the play started soon after Blair's arrival. It was a typical fairytale with a prince, a princess, a witch, and of course, fairies.

In Blair's opinion, Ryan was the most handsome, although she may have been slightly biased.

Dan had a huge grin on his face as he watched his son "fly" across the stage. Despite all his complaints about his son portraying a fairy, he was still proud of him.

Serena and Lily were frantically taking pictures and whispering excitedly to one another about how Ryan was the best performer on stage.

Bart tried to keep his eyes open.

Nate was watching Ryan, trying to hide a small smile. He really loved that kid.

Chuck's reaction was the best of all. He was silently mouthing the words that Ryan was saying on stage. Apparently, he had helped Ryan run lines.

Joanna looked bored and was trying to initiate a conversation with Chuck. Blair was tempted to kick her in the shin to get her to shut up but she was too far away. However, she was pleasantly surprised when Chuck shushed Joanna.

Blair smiled and wondered what Chuck would be like for his own children. And then she frowned, remembering that Chuck's children would be with Joanna, not with her.

Blair returned her focus to the play, trying to forget the thought that had just crossed her mind.

At the end of the performance, Ryan received the loudest cheers as the entire front row stood up and shouted his name.

He was quickly attacked by his mother, grandmother, and Blair and then passed around to the males of the group. Eventually, Lily dragged him home to her house, leaving the six remaining adults in her wake.

"Why don't you all meet us at the penthouse for drinks?" Serena suggested, not considering that this might create an awkward situation.

No one really responded and Serena took the silence as an agreement and led the way out of the building.

Blair sighed, knowing that tonight couldn't possibly go well.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: **I own nothing except the story line and the characters not seen in the show!

Thanks for all of the reviews; they really meant a lot to me!!

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Everyone rode to the Humphrey penthouse in silence, the limo laced heavily with tension. Something was brewing beneath the surface ready to explode any minute.

The elevator ride was no better. Blair felt like she was suffocating from the overwhelming quiet that engulfed them all.

Blair flashed back to the night where she and Chuck…reunited. It was exactly one week ago. The memory of it was still so fresh in her mind. She could still remember every touch, every lust-filled look, the taste of him. She almost couldn't bear it.

Chuck had similar thoughts. It was around this time last week when he extricated himself from Joanna's grasp with some excuse about going to talk to Nate. He would have actually done so if he hadn't noticed Blair at the bar throwing back scotch. And then he saw the way some of the guys were eyeballing her and he knew he had to step in.

Before he knew it they were talking and laughing and drinking and she was looking so gorgeous and perfect like she always had and he wondered what it would be like to kiss her. Then he was thrown for a loop when _she_ leaned in and kissed _him_.

He felt something stir inside him. It was something he had grown to both love and hate simultaneously. He loved the way it made him feel but at the same time it broke his heart.

She was the only girl to ever ignite those stupid, obnoxious, pesky…_things_ in him. Not even Joanna, the supposed love of his life had ever come close to making him feel so alive.

But of course, those butterflies had never been too kind to him and it was only a matter of time before they decided to bite him in the ass.

He was foolish for even starting something with her. He knew nothing could ever happen, he was engaged for crying out loud, but for a fleeting moment those butterflies made him think that maybe they would have their second chance.

Naturally, that all went up in flames when she wouldn't keep sneaking around behind his fiancée's back. He knew she was right, knew it was wrong, but it felt so right.

He was going to leave her alone and try to pretend like he didn't have, dare he say…feelings for her, when she decided to drag him shopping with her. He couldn't stop smiling. Only she could make a boring day of shopping seem like the most exciting and meaningful day of his life.

He couldn't just let it go. He had to talk to her, to see if she felt something too. So he waited in her hotel room for her to come home from her dinner with Nate, convinced that she would never bring him back to the room, only to be proven completely wrong.

He wanted to scream and cry and vomit and beat the shit out of Nate for touching _his_ girl. He just had to get out of there. He couldn't let himself get sucked into this again. He couldn't let her break him again.

When she tried to talk to him he refused. He knew he would forgive her and he couldn't let that happen. He had to be strong and forget what they had. So he told her that they were a mistake. He needed to hurt her to make sure she left him alone. No matter how much he didn't mean it.

Finally, the elevator stopped and everyone let out a breath of relief.

Serena led the way to the sitting room and Dan went to the bar to get the alcohol. Blair hung back trying to catch Nate's eye. She needed to talk to him and this might be her last chance. She wanted to make this right.

"Nate." She whispered after he refused to acknowledge her.

"What?" He answered angrily, his voice never rising above hers.

"Can we talk for a minute?" She asked pleadingly.

"Talk about what? About how you're exactly the same as you were in high school. How you're still a slut. I don't know what else there is to say except well done." Nate retorted

"What are you talking about?" Blair asked, perplexed.

"Well done. You made me fall for you again even though I promised myself I would never let it happen only to have you crush me, yet again. So bravo!" Nate spat and then walked into the sitting room with the others.

Blair tried to hold back tears. She never meant for this to happen. She never wanted anyone to get hurt. But as they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

She took several deep breaths, quickly brushed the tears from her eyes and proceeded into the sitting room with a fake smile in place.

"Blair, what are you having?" Dan asked as she strolled into the spacious room.

"Umm, vodka tonic." She said quietly. It wasn't her usual martini, heavy on the gin, but it was time for a change. She needed to grow up, make some decisions, and stop playing these childish games.

After Dan mixed her drink and everyone was seated around the room, Dan raised his glass for a toast.

"Here's to good friends, may we always be there for each other." He said. Everyone raised their glasses and drank to the toast that somehow felt half-hearted.

Three drinks later, the overall mood of the group had still not changed. Dan and Serena were awkwardly trying to make small talk with Joanna while Chuck, Nate and Blair were lost in their own thoughts.

Without warning, Nate stood up and raised his glass.

"I'd like to propose another toast." Nate began with a malicious look on his face. "To my good friend Chuck and his soon to be bride. May their marriage last a lifetime."

"Here here." Dan said and everyone followed suit.

"And I would also like to congratulate Chuck on not letting his affair with Blair get in the way of his relationship with Joanna. Nice job, man." Nate said and drained his glass.

He walked to the door and turned back to give one last glance to Chuck and Blair, a smirk spread across his pretty face.

No one said anything for a minute. Time seemed to stand still as everyone processed Nate's words. Blair gave Serena a worried look and Serena tried to give a reassuring smile but it fell short.

Joanna broke the silence.

"Is it…is it true?" Joanna whispered.

Nobody said a word.

"Answer the fucking question! Is it true?" Joanna was hollering now.

"Jo…it's not what you think." Chuck tried but even he knew she wouldn't believe him.

"Answer me! I want you to look me in the eyes and say it to my face." Joanna demanded as her eyes shot daggers into Blair's.

"Yes." Blair whispered.

"I want you to say it. I want you to say that you're a fiancée stealing bitch. It's the least that you can do for me." Joanna yelled wildly.

"I'm sorry." Blair murmured. This, however, only infuriated Joanna further.

"You're _sorry_? You're fucking sorry? How dare you insult me with your false apologies? You're not sorry. You're only sorry you got caught. It's no wonder you're still not married. You are nothing but a two-bit slut!" Joanna said venomously.

"I never meant for you to get hurt." Blair muttered softly.

"Oh, well in that case, I forgive you. If you never meant for me to get hurt then it's all okay. That changes everything. Because, you know, for a second I thought you might have done this to hurt me but since that _clearly_ is not the case let's just forgive and forget." Joanna raged with bitter sarcasm.

Blair said nothing, her head hung low. She couldn't exactly blame Joanna. It was _her_ fault that this was happening. She had made her bed and Joanna was merely tucking her in.

"Say something." Joanna demanded. Blair remained quiet.

"Say something, you little whore!" Joanna shouted at Blair and threw her drink in Blair's face.

Blair had been holding her tongue until now. She felt sorry for what she had done and didn't want to further upset Joanna by trying to defend her actions. However, as the cold martini hit her face, Blair felt rage and adrenalin rush through her veins.

"Whore? You're right, _J_, I am a whore. I'm the whore that fucked your fiancée so hard, had him screaming out my name, begging me for more. I'm the whore that he has always, _always_ been in love with. I'm the whore that he couldn't leave alone, even after I turned him down. I'm the whore that he said was the best he ever had." Blair roared.

"You're a CUNT!" Joanna yelled.

"That I may be, but at least I'm not a cheap replacement. Everyone here knows that the only reason that Chuck is even with you is because you look like me. Even after seven years he can't get _me_ out of his head. He has wanted to be with me since we broke up, he told me so himself." Blair taunted in a dangerously soft voice.

"You're wrong. Chuck loves _me_! He wants _me_!" Joanna declared loudly. Blair chuckled.

"If that's what you have to tell yourself." Blair said viciously.

Joanna turned her head to Chuck, looking for confirmation, silently demanding that he agree with her. Chuck, however, said nothing, further infuriating Joanna.

"Chuck Bass, listen to me and listen good, you make a decision, right here, right now: it's either her or me!" Joanna bellowed in a mixture of pain and rage.

Chuck said nothing, unable to look either woman in the eye, instead looking at his feet.

"Don't worry; I'll make this easy for you, Chuck. Goodbye everyone. I hope you won't regret the decisions you've made." Blair said and rushed out of the Humphrey's penthouse in tears.

* * *

The next morning Chuck ran into the Humphrey's penthouse in a frenzy.

"Has she called?" He demanded.

"No. Her cell is off and she won't pick up her room phone. And when Dan went to her room she wouldn't open the door. Can you get a key?" Serena explained nervously.

She had never seen Chuck so worked up. His face was panicked and his eyes were sad. He never looked so lost.

"I am such and asshole. This is all my fault." Chuck rambled off, ignoring Serena's question.

"Chuck, relax." Serena said putting a comforting arm on Chuck's shoulder. "Now, can you get her room key?"

"Uh yeah." Chuck said distractedly.

All he could think about was finding Blair and making things right. He needed to tell her how he felt. He needed her to know that he loved her. He should have said it last night but he was afraid he'd get rejected. Now he didn't care if he got rejected, he just needed to see her again.

He had let Joanna down gently the night before, as gently as the situation allowed. She hadn't taken it well but Chuck was too preoccupied with talking to Blair to care much about it.

He had called her several times after he broke up with Joanna but she refused to take his calls. He figured he would try her in the morning, when the dust had settled down, but she wouldn't answer her damn phone.

That's when he called Serena and Dan and filled them in on the situation. They also tried calling Blair to no avail.

Dan walked into the room and shook his head. She wasn't at her mom's house either.

Serena and Dan followed Chuck to the front desk to get a key for Blair's room and then tried to catch up with him as he sprinted up the stairs to her floor.

When he got to the room he thrust the key in the hole so hard it almost broke. Eventually the door opened.

Serena and Dan rushed after Chuck who had ran into the room, the key forgotten in the door.

The room looked empty. The lights were off, there were no clothes in the closet or the dresser, and the bathroom was spotless. The only indication that someone had even been staying there was the bed, which looked slightly rumpled.

Chuck let out a growl of frustration and sat on the couch trying to think about where else Blair could be.

Serena went to his side to comfort him and Dan walked to a chair across from Chuck. He sat down and felt something underneath him. He got up and realized it was an envelope marked "Dan."

"Look." He said and Chuck's head sprung up at his voice.

"Open it." Chuck ordered and Dan quickly did.

Dan pulled out the letter, which Chuck snatched from his hands. Chuck was about to read the letter when he realized that it wasn't written in English, it was written in French.

"What is it?" Serena asked softly at the look on Chuck's face.

"Why would she do this?" Chuck sighed, handing the letter back to Dan.

"Do what?" Serena asked. Then she looked over Dan's shoulder and understood. Blair obviously didn't want her or Chuck to read the letter. Dan was the only one of them who was fluent in French.

"Read it." Chuck said softly, but with force.

"She clearly doesn't want either of you to know what it says." Dan answered.

"Just read it!" Chuck yelled.

Dan nodded. He couldn't refuse Chuck when he looked so desperate.

"_Dan, I am writing to you to explain my sudden departure. _

_First let me start off by thanking you for letting me stay with you and always being there for me. You are a great friend and I feel blessed to have you in my life. Serena is a lucky woman to have found a husband as kind as you. _

_Second, let me apologize for the incident last night. Last night should have been a celebration for your wonderful son and instead it was ruined by my selfish acts. I am truly sorry but I want you to know that you should be proud of him and yourself for raising such a great kid. I see a lot of your qualities in him, which can only be a good thing. _

_Third, if you are reading this then you have noticed that I am no longer staying in The Palace. It is just too hard for me to stay here. I should also mention that I'm leaving for France tonight. It's for the best really. I've hurt too many people and I've overstayed my welcome. I'm sure you'll be surprised to hear that Pierre came to New York the other day and proposed. I accepted and we're going to elope in France. I'll send you and Serena pictures._

_I was also wondering if it wasn't too much trouble if you could tell Serena that I love her and I'll miss her and I'm sorry for not telling her. I just knew she would try and stop me and I couldn't let her talk me out of doing this. _

_I also ask you to apologize to Nate for me. Tell him that I care about him so much and that I love him, I'm just not _in love_ with him. He is a special guy and there is a great woman out there for him, it's just not me. _

_Lastly, I need you to talk to Chuck for me. I know it probably won't make a difference but I just need him to know I'm sorry and I wish that things had been different. Tell him that I'm sorry about what I said to his whore of a fiancée (use the word 'whore' at your discretion). Also, let him no how terrible I feel about her finding out this way and that I hope they can fix this. And if you can, tell him that I love him, that I never stopped loving him and I was just too scared to admit it. He deserves better and I hope he gets it. _

_I love you all and I miss you already. Say goodbye to Ryan for me and tell him he can visit any time. _

_Love always, _

_Blair_

_P.S. I knew they'd break you!"_


End file.
